The Dimensional Traveler: Volume 1
by GREKy the GREK
Summary: The story follows Michael Runcorn who on one day suddenly appeared in the world of Gamindustri. (vol.1)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1. Welcome to Gamindustri**

"Huh?" When I opened my eyes, I couldn't believe what I saw. Only a split second ago I was still in my bed. And now? I was standing in a middle of a completely unfamiliar street.

Did I doze off and it was just a dream? Everything seemed surprising real, but just in case, I pinched myself in a cheek. This cliché was utterly useless, so of course, it gave no results. My surroundings remained unchanged. Confused, I took a closer look around.

The street I was on seemed strange, although there was nothing out of ordinary here. The sense of oddness was menacing even from such trivial things like pavement. I was sure that I had seen similar ones many times, but still, there was something so out of place about it that I tried to avoid gazing down on purpose. However, it didn't improve my mood. After taking a few steps in a random direction I noticed a row of lamps. Of course, there was nothing wrong with them but still, I felt like if they came from another planet. Trying to get away from all of this I nearly began to run. I was hoping that I could find something I knew or at least, unlike this surrounding was welcoming, but it was all pointless. Quickly enough I discovered that I was locked out from both sides by crowds of people.

I stopped breathing for a moment. What the hell was going on?! I felt that everyone was closing up on me, so I desperately began to search for an escape path. Nothing! Not even a back alley, nor a ladder to the rooftops. Only direction I could run was inside of one of the buildings. And then what? Would I be able to break free? No, I should stop thinking like that! Being paranoid wouldn't help me figure out what on earth was going on. I deeply inhaled to calm myself down.

Those people must have been unaware of my existence. They were focused on themselves. I noticed that many of them had shopping bags in their hands, while others were walking around with their noses in mobile phones. Nothing unusual, see? Even though their clothes were a bit too 'modern' for me, they were certainly fellow humans. There was nothing to be worried about…

Since I got one of the troubles out of the way, I should start thinking how to get home. Knowing how I ended up here would probably only terrify me, so as for now, I decided to ignore it. Unfortunately, before I could start enjoying this moment of inner peace, I suddenly heard a voice coming from behind of my back.

"Товарищ, дайте пятерым водки." A tall stranger in a black hoodie with two white strips on it engaged me. The language he used had quite a familiar sound to it, but I couldn't understand any of what he was saying. Because of that, an idea sprung into my mind. After putting all the pieces together, I deducted what happened to me was a summon to a parallel universe. Or worse, I was drugged and abducted to Russia! Damn, if it was the latter, I was already a goner… To prevent myself from losing sanity right off the bat, I decided to unanimously agree on the option A. I would rather blindly believe that I had become a protagonist of some adventure/fantasy book, because if that was the case, from now on I would start living an easy and satisfying life. Also, I would soon meet my beautiful main heroine with whom I would eventually fall in mutual love. Ah, since when I was so lucky? In all of these delusions, I didn't even notice that guy walking away with a short "И ебать."

"Do you need any help, darling?" An old lady appeared out of nowhere scaring a fantasizing grin off my face. Seriously, just ignore my thoughts from the second ago… Somehow, I could clearly comprehend with her words. "Oh, yeah. I think I'm kind of lost. Could you tell me the way to the town hall, please?" I thought that using this opportunity was the best course of actions. "Town hall?" She looked at me curiously like if she had heard this expression for the first time. "I'm sorry, I can't be of assistance to you. I'm not really familiar with places for youngsters anymore…" Her genuine reaction proved me that I indeed might had entered another dimension. "Maybe it's called in a different way in this region. I meant the most important building of this town. Usually local governments reside there." "Oh, I see. You must be a tourist. I should have known better. So, you are looking for Basilicom, aren't you?" "I guess. How can I find it?" I didn't mean to sound rude, but I hastened the friendly granny. "Right… You have to go straight in that direction and then turn the third left. It's quite far away from here, but you shouldn't miss it. If you are afraid of getting lost, you may ask someone else on the way. I'm sure they will help you. Oh, and Basilicom is that big purple building on the hill. If you look around you should find signs too." Basilicom… I tasted the unfamiliar word in my thoughts. "Thank you. I think I got it. Is there anything I could do to repay this favor madame?" "Oh hoho, such a gentleman. It's fine. Please enjoy your stay, that's all I will ask you for!" Eventually, I went my way, sent off by the old woman with a smile and a wave of her hand.

Basilicom truly turned out to be a place I couldn't miss. A large, church-like structure was giving me a vibe of a slightly futuristic version of Sistine Chapel. However, unlike the one in Vatican, it had something warm and hospitable to it. For some strange reason, as I made my way towards the entrance I couldn't help but to feel like if I was returning home.

My first connotation was also right about the interior. In a spacious hall there were four stands and to each of them there was a long line. I didn't want to spend there a whole day, so before I were to join any of them I probably had to do some research. Luckily, I didn't have to go far to find what I exactly needed.

' _Welcome to Planeptune Basilicom of Lady Purple Heart_.' The sign informed me. I decided to keep that name in mind, just in case. It sounded more like a nickname than an actual one, but without a doubt, she was the most important person in here. Underneath, there was additional info thanks to which I figured out that I should go to the number 4 – general affairs and tourism.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" When after around half an hour in queue it was finally my turn, a clerk wearing unusual purple robes as his uniform greeted me. He was looking a bit of eccentric to me, especially considering that big hat-like object on his head, however, since I made it this far… "I was told that I could get some touristic information here. It's my first time in this area and to be honest, I feel kind of lost." Playing a slightly dumb traveler would be the safest option, I thought. If I were to start screaming 'hello I came here from another world' I would certainly be quickly transported to a 'secure' place. "Ah, first time in Planeptune? We're always glad to welcome new visitors. Please, hang on a moment. I have something which may help you, sir." Saying that, the man dove under his desk and after few moments reappeared with a booklet in his hands. "Here, you can have it, sir." He pushed it towards me. ' _Welcome to Gamindustri_ ' said richly decorated tittle. "It has all kind of useful stuff. Map of the town, important numbers and even a bit of history. I hope you can find everything you need here, but if there's anything else troubling you, feel free to ask either me or one of my colleagues. I'm sure we will be able to find a solution to any of your worries." Nah, it wasn't possible. Nonetheless, I smiled back at him and showed my gratitude. "Will do. Thank you very much." After acquiring the first key item, my next quest was to find a sitting spot on the side and study all I could about my current whereabouts.

' _Gamindustri – a land over which CPUs rule. It is made up of four nations, each ruled over by one of the goddesses. CPU White Heart rules Lowee, CPU Black Heart Lastation, CPU Green Heart – Leanbox and CPU Purple Heart resides in Planeptune. Each nation battles over dominion of the land, with the CPUs keeping one another in top form, creating a balance_.' Though reading all of this still seemed like a joke to me, I was sure that learning it was critical if I wished to survive in this new setting. Goddesses? Were they really ones or was it just a title used to refer to a ruler in this world? If it was true, maybe if I somehow managed to meet and talk to one of them… Argh, whom I was kidding, there was no way that would actually happen! Looking like that, I wouldn't be even allowed to see them closely, not to mention if I were to tell them my ridiculous story I would probably risk more than being thrown into asylum. Ugh, I checked on the giant clock on the wall of the lobby. It was still 1 pm. I still had a chance to do something to at least secure my first night. But first, I should finish reading the guide. It could… "HUH?!"

When I turned the page over, a large blob of yellowish substance dropped on the paper. Some portion of it bounced over, staining my trousers. "NEPU! Rest in peace Mr. Pudding. You will be missed." In front of me there was a small girl holding an already empty plastic pack. Considering how close to me she stood and that she was still leaning forward, she must have been peeking on what I was reading. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Sorries about that. I guess I should do something now." She didn't look exactly troubled as she gracefully jumped a step back and grinned, scratching her head.

The first thing I noticed about her was the color of her hair and eyes. Both of them were light purple, nearly pink. Fixing her matching hoodie dress, she glanced over me once again without dropping that contagious smile. I didn't know why but I immediately felt happier after seeing it. "Uh huh, not really talkative? Well, not every day such a cute girl like me talks to you, I guess." "Sorry. I'm still a bit confused and stuff…" "Yep. I can see that. Hah, from where didya come from with a face like that? From some different dimension?" Obviously, she wasn't being serious but my eyes widened upon hearing that anyway. I was nearly about to answer her positively, when another person joined us.

"What's the matter Lady Neptune? Is this man troubling you?" One of the clerks rushed over to our position. Hold on, did he say 'lady'? "Dude, can't I just talk to my people when I wanna to? Go back to your work. Everything is A-Okay around here! Thanks for concern, I guess. Now bye, bye!" The man bowed apologetically and without any complains went back to his duties as fast as he appeared.

"For reals… Do they really think I can't handle myself? Geez…" The pink girl sighed and sat down on a chair next to mine. I didn't know how to answer to that, so I remained silent. "Back to main point, why are you reading like that? Tell me at once!" She perked up in her sit while using a nearly accusatory tone. "Like what? Is wanting to learn more about this world a crime?" "That's not what I meant! Don't you have friends to hang out or something instead of reading boring stuff everyone knows in a such lame place as Basilicom?" Ouch. That unexpectedly stung harder that intended. Seeing my reaction, she pointed her finger at me. "I knew it! Doctor Nep successfully diagnosed this patient. You just have no friends! I know someone who would understand this pain though…" "Like yourself?" "He's talking back! I can't believe it!" "By the way…" I decided to steer the conversation to a different topic before that guy would come back, this time with security. "That person from before referred to you per lady. I'm sorry if I'm being rude to ask, but are you perhaps a relative of this CPU Purple Heart?" I didn't have to be a Sherlock to unveil this mystery. That girl had to be someone important here, so if I were lucky enough, my chances of seeking an audience with goddess would skyrocket. Though it definitely was still a risky scheme. "Hehe, relative he says." She chuckled at me mockingly. "Since I feel like talking to you is somehow putting on the first flag of a new epic plot, it's time for a big reveal! Ta ta ta! It's still only the first chapter and you already met the main heroine – Neptune aka Purple Heart aka the most awesome person in Gamindustri!"

"Say what?" That probably wasn't a reaction she anticipated. "He didn't believe, did he?! What a guy!" "Well, in that book your snack landed on there was a photo of her and she was kind of, umm… different, you know." "Like how?!" "Like she was an adult for instance. She also had long purple hair, braided behind her back. Not to mention those eyes… They were rather intriguing." I didn't understand why I said the last two sentences aloud, but somehow, I felt that I could be fully honest around this self-proclaimed goddess. "Uh, so you must already be head over heels for her, huh?" "That's not my point. Please, be honest with me. Are you perhaps her daughter?" At that moment my head was turned away from her as I was dumping the destroyed guide into the closest bin. Nonetheless, I still noticed a pillar of blinding light filling the room out of sudden.

When I finally could open my eyes, I didn't see anything out of ordinary. Was I just imagining things? The life in Basilicom didn't show any proof of any anomalies which could have occurred and because of that, I felt like if I was the only one to witness it. What the hell? "So, you can see the transformation, can't you? That's rather unheard of…" The voice came from my right. Unlike Neptune's squeaky and childish, this one was deeper and more dignified. The change startled me to a point where I felt like if I was having a heart attack. In the end, from that direction and distance, the only one who could speak to me was… I slowly turned my head to confirm it.

"Fufu, you look as if you have seen a ghost." Although there was no way they could actually switch places without me noticing it, a second ago there was a girl sitting on my side, now it was a fully-grown woman. As her appearance went, she looked exactly like Purple Heart I had seen on paper, however, the real one was somehow far more beautiful. "Geh?" I couldn't stop myself from articulating a weird sound. No doubt, this was a goddess. I was in a different world. I just had to roll with it from now on. "You're making funny faces." The CPU giggled and stretched her long legs, putting one on the another. "There's nothing that can surprise me even more at this point." "I assume I gained your trust now." "Yeah, sorry about that. You said it's not common to see a transformation, right? Did you mean that light?" "Yes. I thought it's impossible for humans. As far as I am aware, you must be the first one. That's quite impressive." "Is it? So, allow me to confirm one thing. That child Neptune is your human disguise while Purple Heart is the real you, am I correct?" "The answer is yes and no. Both of them are me. It would probably take a bit to explain the theory behind it, but let's not only talk about me. I'm sure you have an interesting secret or two on your own too. I'm curious to hear about them." The tone of her voice was like if the goddess had already seen through me. I hesitated for a moment. Could she know about cases like mine and for that reason she had spoken to me in the first place? Maybe it wasn't such rare occurrence and people were taking casual strolls through dimensions on regular basis. So far, I was rather skeptical about confiding my story to others, but after meeting Neptune I changed my mind. I shared all of my worries with her.

"What do you think? Is there a way for me to get back home now?" When I was done, I gazed on my interlocutor. For the whole time she had been actively listening, asking for more details, so even though we were pretty much complete strangers, I found it surprisingly easy to talk to her. However, when I was expecting answers and reassurance, all I received was disappointment.

"Hehe, you know…" Purple Heart nervously played with her hair. From the puzzled look on her face I deducted it wasn't that she disbelieved into my story, rather, she was simply as clueless as I was. "…" I lowered my eyes in dejection. If even one of the CPUs didn't know how to help me, that could only mean I would have to start getting used to Gamindustri from now on. "Don't be so sad. Look, I have an idea. Let's go talk to Histy. Though it may be a bit shaming for me to admit, she's more knowledgeable than me in such instances." Neptune suddenly sprung out of her seat. "Histy?" "She's the Oracle of Planeptune. She is home now, so follow me and stay close. It would be a problem if you got lost." Not waiting for a response, she grabbed a corner of my sleeve and pulled forward. Definitely, that wasn't a scenario I expected. Not that I wasn't fine with it, although as I was still greatly confused, all I could do was to follow CPU Purple Heart as she led me through crowds of greeting her people towards the back of the Basilicom.

"You see… We had a little 'difference in opinions' earlier today. Could you stay here for a sec, please?" Once we reached a certain door, Neptune had stopped. "I'll call you in. If I survive, that is." She added and loudly inhaled. "Well, wish me luck. I'm going in." I didn't know how to reply, so I just nodded as she went inside, like if to receive a capital punishment. Whoever this Histy was, she had to be a truly terrifying person… Ten minutes later the door swung open again, inviting me to enter.

Design of the room clearly indicated feminine hand, not only in terms of color selection, but also in scattered around items. Most of the furniture was white and pink, while the walls had light purple wallpaper on them. Because of that, the interior seemed to be nearly illuminating. Even if there were spots with a bit of mess, like comics or gaming accessories out of their shelves, I could easily say that someone had been regularly cleaning here. I probably shouldn't judge people or goddesses by my own standards…

Both of them were waiting at the living room's table. Or rather, one was literally on it. A tiny girl in a purple gown was sitting on a large book placed at the far end of the wooden surface. Her medium sized blonde hair was peacefully falling down on her back fairy-like wings. She must have been Histy. "Ummm… Good morning." I threw awkwardly to her. "Greetings. Please sit down. Neptune had already given me a short briefing, nonetheless I would like to confirm a few details. (welcoming face)" Invited by Neptune's hand gesture, I took a chair next to hers and repeated everything, hopefully for the last time.

Histoire (because that apparently was her full name) kept intensively browsing her tome during our discussion. She seemed to be highly intrigued by what I was telling them and when I finished, it took her a while to come back to reality. "Please forgive me. By all means, I do not doubt your words, however, this is just remarkable. Dimension you came from is like nothing I have ever read about. And the other fact… I am terribly sorry, but I cannot send you home yet. (apologetic face)" "Huh, why?" "I probably should have rephrased that. I am not able to. It is most likely possible, though it would require a lot of research on my side. (thinking face)" "How long do you think it would take?" "30 years or so. (sorry face)" "30 years?!" I didn't think it would be easy to get back, but 30 years? I would be 49 by that time, so even if I were to return, what would I do there? Having lost my entire youth, no education, no job, no family… Not to mention, how would I explain where I was until then? I didn't know how long it took, but eventually I would be proclaimed dead anyway. So, what was the point? I fixed my stare on my feet. All I could do was to stay here, in Gamindustri. No other solution popped into my head. Definitely, that would be a hard task. I would have to learn all basic skill and knowledge from the start, like if I was reborn. This concept overwhelmed me, especially since Gamindustri seemed to have something which my world didn't – magic. Who knows, maybe even I would be able to learn a spell or two? Knowing that it was the most important moment of my life, I finally made up my mind.

"I'm staying here. You don't need to look for it. I'm sorry for troubling you." I didn't even notice when I stood up. I tried to hide it as much as I could, however, my knees were nearly giving out. I was afraid of what would happen next and I didn't want them to see me breaking. A ruler of this nation and her Oracle genuinely wished to help me. I was just one face of many, a completely random guy. So why were they so kind to me? Especially Neptune. Even now she seemed worried about me. For what reason was she concerned about me? No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't find a single rational explanation for her actions. "I should be going. You must be busy." Forcing myself to act as calm as it was possible, I slowly began to walk towards the exit, when suddenly, a hand which must have been Neptune's grasped my outfit from the back.

I froze. "Going? Where? You don't even know the town, do you?" She clearly had a point. My actions were irrational due to the stress I just underwent. First, I probably should clear my mind and then try to look for a first job and a shelter. "You know, in most of MMORPGs you can't be a solo player forever. One day you will need help from others or you won't be able to make any further progress in the game." "What's your point?" "I can see you are smart. You will quickly figure everything out yourself, I'm sure of it. And you have a special gift… There may be even more to that. That is why I'm not going to let you walk out now." We knew each other for like 15 minutes, so why was she acting this way? There had to be a limit how kind one could be. "Would you perhaps be interested in working for me? I can provide you with a place to sleep, food and everything else. I want to help you." "And what would I have to do?" "Become my secretary." Unlike mine, her answer was instant. I had never done anything like that before so I wasn't certain I would be able to fulfil duties with such high responsibility. I wasn't a type to do things halfway. Besides, if I were to fail on this post, not only my pride would be damaged, but also there was a possibility that a person who was willing to go that far without even knowing me would suffer. For some reason, I didn't want that to happen… "Please…" Neptune added in a low voice and I felt like if something inside of my heart cracked. "Although it's a bit of late, how should I address you?" "Huh? Just my name is fine." "Alright, Neptune." Turning around, I grasped her beautiful hand. She clearly didn't expect that and backed away but didn't shake off my grip. "It will be my honor and pleasure, so please take good care of me. I promise I will do my best not to disappoint you." "Y-yes." Though she stuttered, a smile appeared on her face. Right after that, she reemerged from a pillar of light in her immature version. "Woo hoo! I already can't wait to see jealous faces of others. Haha, Planeptune will take over the world! Be right back, I'm gonna check if our guest rooms are usable, so don't go anywhere!" Happily jumping, Neptune stormed out of my sight.

"It is rare to see her excited about actual work. She is always lazing around all day. (curious face)." Histoire started a conversation when we were alone. "Is she?" "Yes. You would not even believe how much trouble she gives us because of that. As a goddess she should finally learn her duties. (slightly annoyed face)" "By the way, does she do things like that often?" "What do you mean? (confused face)" "I meant picking up strangers and offering them jobs." "No, no. Of course, not. Even though Neptune might be a little capricious, she has never done anything as random before, so I am as surprised as you. Luckily, you do not seem to be a bad person. Everything should be fine, I hope. Who knows, maybe she had seen something in you that I cannot notice yet…? (thinking face)" "So the CPU Purple Heart is quite an individual, huh?" I whispered to myself. "Anyway, I've got to work hard from now on." "I am glad to hear at least you understand that. (relieved face)"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2. Adventure time begins**

As for someone who was restarting his life in a fantasy world I was really lucky to start with such a well-paid job. Since I could move into the Basilicom from the first day, I didn't have to worry about anything. I could focus on learning by reading borrowed from Histoire books or by joining Neptune on her walks around the town. On the first glance, such life may have sounded perfectly, haven't it? However, there was a 'tiny' drawback.

When I was informed about Neptune's laziness, I had no clue how terrible it really was. The last thing that girl had in mind was working, which basically meant the entire nation was pretty much ran by Histoire. Despite all of my efforts to help, we were still constantly overwhelmed by piling up paperwork. Because of that my free time was rather limited, nonetheless, I still couldn't complain.

On the third day I received my first payment in advance, so I went to buy new clothes and other items of personal use. With assistance and advice provided by my employer's best friends – IF and Compa, I managed to successfully complete this mission by purchasing a bunch of quality goods at decent pricing.

There was no strict dress code at my workplace, however, as I was supposed to make public appearances from time to time, I decided to give up on my old casual style and start wearing more elegant clothing. The set of my selection was rather simple, yet still good looking. Well, at least in my humble opinion. A purple plaid shirt, comfortable T-shirt underneath, pair of classy blue jeans and black sneakers. For the time being I obtained five similar sets, which was surely enough.

No matter how peaceful this period seemed to be, I knew it was only a matter of time before my first adventure in Gamindustri would finally begin.

On the fifth morning Histoire asked both of us to come to the living room.

"Yesterday was the day when Nepgear was to come back home. (concerned face)" She said. I already knew about whom we were talking about. Nepgear was Neptune's younger sister and a CPU Candidate, which meant one day she could become the next goddess. "Uh, did Nep Jr. do something bad again? Geez, I haven't raised her like that. I bet she created a Robot of Total Destruction or got caught up in some legendary sword ordeal." Neptune sighed without any concern on her face. "Goodness! It is your own sibling. Aren't you at least worried a bit, Neptune? (angry face)" "Theoretically, she's in Lastation visiting her friend, right?" I interrupted, so this rant wouldn't transform into a long lecture. "Yep, she went to see Uni. Those two probably lost track of the time while tinkering with sparky machinery. It's quite typical for them. But Histy, why are you trying to imply we have to do something? Can't you just contact Noire and make her do that for us?" "You see, here lies the main issue. No matter how many times I call, I cannot reach her. (worried face)" "Noire? You mean CPU Black Heart?" "That's her. Also known as Tsun Heart or Friendless Heart." "If that's the case, then I think something bad happened in Lastation." "I agree. It is unlike Noire not to pick up phone calls and I am sure she would let us know if Nepgear wanted to stay a bit longer. That is why I believe we should go there and investigate. (concerned face)" "Okay. I'm in, though I'm probably not big of a help." I volunteered. Most likely I wouldn't be able to assist them anyhow, but curiosity won over. I intended to use this opportunity to visit a different nation and meet the second goddess while on it. "Thank you. We do not know what to expect, so Neptune should go with you as well. As a matter of fact, conversing with that nation's goddess can be quite… Troublesome on the first meeting. (thankful face)" "Oh man, what a bummer… I hate walking."

By foot we were able to get to Lastation in around 4-5 hours, so we would arrive more or less in dinner hours. Instructed by Histoire I took care of our equipment. Matches, rope, some basic tools and of course, food and water. Just in case, I also packed spare clothes for both of us, but there was a possibility we would be back home on the same day. Like that, we departed from Planeptune, setting our goal on east.

Halfway there, we agreed to take a breather and eat something good on a small break in Virtua Forrest.

"Whoa, Secretary, you know how to cook?" Neptune peered over my shoulder as I was reheating the tomato soup. It was a ready-made one so I wouldn't exactly call it cooking. "Well, someone has to since you can't. I assume it's your sister who usually prepare meals, isn't she?" "Yeah. She's no master chef, but she can handle herself in the kitchen. Nep Jr. is quite good at baking sweets, you know?" "Oh, that's nice. Anyway, it's ready. Can you grab plates for me, please? I have to look after the fire." As I asked, she took out crockery from my backpack and handed them to me. "Thanks. You go can sit down. I'll bring it in a second."

A minute later, we were already sitting together on a blanket and consuming the dish. "Slurp, slurp. And I'm stuffed. Thanks for the meal!" "No problem. Want to rest a bit longer or shall we get going?" I finished right after her. "I wanna dessert." "And what my lady wishes to eat?" "Pudding!" "Hah, I should've figured it out." "What?! You didn't bring any?!" "I did. Since I had a premonition, I took one for you." "Oooh, that's my boy! As a bonus for that, I will tell you a story about when I last…" "Shhh! Something's coming."

I didn't know how I picked it up, but I clearly heard a movement in nearby bushes. According to my research, there shouldn't be any dangerous beasts in this area, however, if we were to encounter people with ill intentions… As the last resort, I slowly hid one of the knifes behind my back.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case. A pack of small and slimy dog-like creatures cheerfully bounced into our camp. They didn't look especially harmful, but that could be only a façade to lure in a potential prey. "Dogoos. Aren't they kinda cute?" "What do we do with them?" "Of course, we kick their asses! It's the easiest exp around. I can leave one for you if you want." "I think I'll pass…" "Suit yourself. Okay, it's time to show off my cool side. Nepcalibur!"

Suddenly a white sword with purple accents and a big letter N on its hilt materialized in her grasp. "Dogoo. Dogoo." The monsters probably weren't even aware of what was coming their way. Neptune charged right into their pack, firmly slashing the three of them at once. Their bodies liquidized on the grass, leaving blue stains which quickly evaporated. "There are more on your left." I hinted, feeling a bit useless. "Got'em." Once again, a sequence of rapid attacks easily took care of majority of targets, save one. "Are you sure you don't wanna? Man, level 2 is within your hands and stuff…" "I said I'm fine. By the way, I don't think we should have such casual talks during a battle. Even if it isn't anything lethal we're dealing with." "Oh, don't be afraid. There's absolutely nothing that Dogoo can… HAAGH!" As to be expected when someone was boasting too much, in that moment the creature jumped up on her face.

"Waaagh! I can't see anything! I can't see anything! And it tickles!" Neptune began to roll over the ground in panic. She was desperately trying to shake the Dogoo off, however, it wasn't willing to cooperate. "It's getting into my ears, nose and all other holes! I'm gonna die in here because of that tickling!" If that kept up, she would eventually suffocate in front of my eyes. I had to do something! Even if I didn't know how to fight with it I grabbed the knife. Would it be enough? No. The edge wasn't big enough. Crap! What should I do? What should I do?! Then I noticed Nepcalibur.

The sword laid not so far away from my position. She must have forgotten about it in fear and accidently threw it in my direction. That was it! Not giving it a second thought, I picked it up.

As my fingers connected forming a solid grip, I felt like if a spark went throughout my entire body. Suddenly all of my senses became razor sharp. I locked on my target. "Neptune, don't move! I have no clue how to do it, so I might scratch you." "Easily said, harder done!" There was nothing more to consider. Just swing to kill. Or rather, swing to protect. I thought a weapon would be heavier, but I had a hunch that a normal steel wasn't used to produce it. Somehow, I was able to sense magic circulating inside of the blade as I raised it up and slashed the blue Dogoo.

"Are you okay?" I knelt down next to her to wipe the goo out of her face. Thank goodness I didn't hurt her… "Yup, I think so." "There was a small pond on the way here. Do you want to go back to wash it off?" "Definitely. And something sweet to eat. I must have swallowed a tad. Yuck." "I'm returning to the owner." "Oh, right." She took the Nepcalibur and made it vanish. In the meantime, I got up and started to collect our equipment. "Secretary…" Neptune called out to me still from the ground. "What is it?" "Nothing. Just wanted to tell you were really cool today. Thanks for saving me." "It's only natural. Besides I didn't do that much…" I turned around trying not to let her see my embarrassed face. "A-anyway. Let's get going! I don't even want to think what would happen if someone saw me with a goo covered little girl…" "Then I can transform." That would make it even harder to explain… "Or you can just clean it up. C'mon or I'm leaving alone." "Ugh. Such a tyrant." Nonetheless, in spite of having some complains, she quickly caught up to me.

After that small adventure and a short detour, we went back on the trail and without any further difficulties, we eventually arrived to our destination – Lastation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3. Sleepyhead.**

The capital of Black Heart's country was nearly a polar opposition of Planeptune. Majority of buildings were black, gray or in other industrial shades. There was something cyber or steam-punkish about it, but as I was completely ignorant in terms of architectural styles, I had no clue how to distinct them, so you could just ignore this remark. Though this ground seemed to be cold and unwelcoming I had to give one thing to this nation – technology was visibly superior here.

"It doesn't look like they have any problems to me…" I commented as we reached leading to the Basilicom main street. Maybe besides that one shop which was closed without a notice life in Lastation was looking perfectly fine. "Dunno. Maybe clones replaced normal citizens to distract us." "I don't think anyone would go that far. We've passed at least hundreds." "Who knows? Oh, wait a second…" Before I realized, Neptune suddenly ran off in some direction. "Hey, where are you going? Wait up."

When I finally caught up to her I was out of my breath. Damn, I probably should start exercising… "Don't leave me like that. You know that it's my first time here and… Oh, sorry for interrupting." Apparently, I kind of butted into a conversation. The reason why she dashed off must have been this girl in a white coat looking uniform. Both of her outfit and accessories were clearly giving out signals she was a magician. On top of her blue hair she wore a pointy wizard hat and she supported herself on a black staff. When she noticed my arrival, she theatrically took out a mobile phone and turned back, loudly whispering. "The Organization sent their assassins after me. If I don't make it, began the operation… Yeah, you-know-which. I'm out. Loohcs tneve emag noitamina cisum." Ending that obviously fake call, she returned to us like if nothing had happened. I didn't want to question sanity of my boss' friends, but this case seemed to be at least a bit 'special'.

"Whoa, whoa. No need to be so scared around him. Despite his looks, he's actually a nice guy and my new secretary too." "Ah, I see. You found yourself an assistant, Neptune. He seems capable enough." Assistant? Well, I guessed I could be considered one too. "Then if I know you can be trusted, I shall give you my name and I promise, it isn't one you will ever forget. You can call me MAGES.! I'm a mad magician, who combines powers of magic and science to bring destruction to this petty universe!" That was a rather unusual greeting… With that moves I would sooner say that she was a dancer, but she must have thought it was cool or something, since she was carefully eyeing how impressed I was. "Erm, okay… Nice to meet you. I'm…" "You look like a man who have witnessed many miracles, haven't you?" Unexpectedly, she didn't allow my introduction to take place as she threw me off balance by leaning forward in my direction. Her face was way too close and because of that I could see a small birthmark under her left eye. "Umm…" "Tell me. Do you know anything about legendary Duct Tear Popper?" She demanded with a dead serious expression. "I know about a drink with a similar name…" "Tell me everything! Go on. I must know where to find it!" MAGES. pressed her body against mine, cornering me to the wall. On the side note, normally, I wouldn't have much against such treatment since she was still quite pretty and stuff. That is if I were to ignore the slightly delusional part, of course. "Maybe later, we are kind of busy right now with official business." Call me dense all you want; however, I was too tired to deal with her any longer. "Yep. That's true. We've gotta visit the Basilicom, you see?" "Ah, that's certainly a shame. Anyway, if you're searching for the local CPU then I shall share this information with you. As the rumor claims, she hasn't been seen in the city for the past two days." "What? Noire went missing? That's a shocker." "Still, we should confirm it anyway. If that's correct, then we might at least learn where did she go." "Yeah, agreed. Thanks, MAGES.! See ya! I promise I will hook the two of you up later." Please don't… After exchanging our goodbyes, we left the mad magician alone and proceeded with our mission.

"Your friend is rather distinctive…" "Oh, don't be like that. She's nice. Though a bit too chuuni at times." "A bit too what?" "He doesn't know about 8th grade syndrome?!" "Let's not get any deeper into this matter, shall we? We're getting close." Although the design highly differed from that I knew, this building definitely had to be the Basilicom of Lastation. Even in this cold looking town, it really stood up as the place holding power. "Secretary, this way!" "Where are you going?" "If Noire isn't home they won't tell us anyway. Her workers are ridiculously loyal and would think we plan to use it against their nation." "You might have a point. So, what now?" "I have a backdoor key. She gave me once, just in case. What can go wrong? If she's fine I'll be yelled at once again." Certainly, it was a safer and more reliable approach. "Though he will have less luck…" "What was that?" "Nothing." She smiled brightly and once again added in low voice. "He's a guy, so I guess he can survive it." "Eh, sooner we deal with it, faster we're home. Lead the way, Neptune." I sighed, since it was literally everything I could do at this point.

As I suspected, this Basilicom also had a separate living part. After we circled around the building, we reached a garden area at the back of it. By the way, this one wasn't as messy as the one back home. This goddess must have enjoyed gardening to some extend since neatly organized rows of flowers and vegetables were splendidly growing up. The other part was an exercise corner. Fences for jumping, dummies, wooden swords for practice and probably many more similar devices behind the closed door of the shed… Neptune had turned the key and pressed the handle of the metal gate. "Let's get rolling! Hehe, a chance to snoop around Noire's room doesn't come in every day." Seriously, I still couldn't make out whether those two were best friends or worst enemies. I could hardly see someone as this cheerful goddess actually hating anybody or being hated, but the relationship between them seemed a bit intense to me. "Uh, you're not coming?" When she realized that instead of following in, I started to take off my backpacks at the entrance Neptune turned around on her feet. "I'll stay here. I'm sure she wouldn't like an unknown man lurking around her belongings. Go alone and I'll wait here." To be honest, I'd rather stay out of any unnecessarily problems which could occur if the CPU wasn't out. As in fact, a third, unacquainted party, that had to be the best decision." "Eh, have fun then…" Disappointed, she entered the house of her fellow goddess alone.

In the meanwhile, I sat down on the grass next to the gate and began to search my inventory for a drink. A lot of things happened recently, so no surprise I was feeling slightly exhausted. Quickly enough, I found the bottle of mineral water and took a large sip out of it. Damn, I didn't even realize how thirsty I got. According to what I read, dehydration was one of the biggest issues while traveling. It was highly advised to always be well-stock on water, especially when going abroad. Sometimes drinking what you weren't used to could result in a terrible stomachache.

Slowly eating up our snack supply, I tried to make the time pass. I didn't check when exactly we arrived here, but I was sure that it had been already over half an hour since Neptune went in. What the heck was she doing here? Was the Black Heart home and they ended up chatting, forgetting about me? Maybe my relationship with Neptune was unexpectedly close as for the short time we knew each other, however, the other goddess could have no intention to talk to a commoner like me. Besides, she held no obligation to invite me in, so I shouldn't expect anything in the first place. Argh, thinking about that wouldn't help. I got up to stretch my legs, which due to a prolonged stay in uncomfortable position began to feel numb.

Though I promised I would stay on this spot, a sudden urge to take a short stroll turned out to be victorious. I didn't intend to go far, since knowing my luck, I would have been needed right after I left the sight. Even though the area was pretty much empty, just in case I decided to move our stuff inside the garden and then departed the way we came.

On the first glance, Lastation wasn't exactly pleasing my aesthetic senses, however, when I started the actual sightseeing, I changed my mind. In its own unique manner, the town was surely hiding a lot of interesting places worth to explore. Once I reached the stairs down, I squatted down near the ledge of the platform Basilicom was built on.

I deeply inhaled. Even though I was in a town, I felt so well, like if I breathed for the first time. Since coming to Gamindustri my irregular and rather shut-in lifestyle had drastically changed. I wasn't a total nerd, who wouldn't go out at all back home, but I definitely couldn't be called as a healthy person. For that reason, I found it miraculous that I actually managed to walk such a long distance today. Just how many kilometers it was? I wondered and looked around.

Alleys I was facing could be considered as back ones, so it wasn't a surprise they were nearly empty. Besides a few people roaming in their directions there were only four stationary targets in my field of view. I didn't mean to rudely eavesdrop, however, since that small group wasn't far away, out of curiosity I leaned forward to see what they were up to.

"C'mon babe. Don't be like that. Come with us and let's have some fun." Pick-up lines of a most stereotypical douchebag... I wasn't surprised the guy who said that looked like a gym frequent. More muscles than brain, huh? Given that two others who stood a few steps behind were similarly built, I assumed he was their leader. "Leave me alone. I'm going home." The cornered girl meekly protested in a barely audible voice. From my place I couldn't see her face, only parts of her clothing which were quite elegant. On top of her frilly white dress she wore a black top with golden buttons. At least in my book, that was an outfit befitting someone coming from a rich family, so her company wasn't exactly matching. "No need to play hard to get. I know you won't regret it. We can show you a lot of fun places, right boys?" His followers enthusiastically nodded, but due to their dumb facial expressions I was getting an impression they didn't fully follow the flow of the conversation. "I'm telling you, I don't have time to…" Apparently, that must have hurt the leader's ego as he pressed her against the wall. Okay then, it could be already considered as an assault. After I concluded that, I had to do something about it.

But what could have I done alone? I was no fighter and there were three of them, not to mention each highly overpowered me. Should go back and bring Neptune? Even if ran as fast as I could to the Basilicom, there was a chance that by the time we arrived, they would be already long gone. Crap. That left only one option – figure out on the spot. That was the worst possible plan I had ever came up with but anyway, I interrupted the scene by dropping down on the stone pavement.

"Usually no means 'I'm not interested' if you skipped this lesson at school." Naturally, the sudden appearance of a big-mouthed stranger from the skies made them switch their attention. "Who the fuck are you? We're talking to our friend, so get lost, okay?" "Friend? Then what is her name?" "…Laura." "Bullshit. It took you too long. If she really was your friend you wouldn't hesitate with an answer." Rage visibly started to boil inside of his thick head. "You! Think you're so smart, aren't you?" He jumped on his feet, while giving his allies a signal to surround me, however, I didn't give them a chance to do so and dashed in the line between them and the road towards the main street. Like that they had no physical means to shut down my escape route. "Not really. Fortunately, even though it's not a big achievement, I'm smarter than three of you taken together." At this taunt he snapped, giving me exactly what I hoped for. "I don't give a damn anymore. I'm gonna beat the shit out of you bastard!"

Though the trio was already on their way, I didn't falter at all. Making sure they saw it I slowly moved my hand inside of my back pocket. Because of that thugs stopped in their tracks. The truth was I had nothing there, nevertheless, the trick I picked up from a movie seemed to be working against these foes and hopefully, it would save both hers and mine skins.

And now the battle turned into a psychological one. My enemies must have assumed I was armed, though they couldn't guess what weapon to expect. Rushing towards a knife could end badly for them as it still posed a serious threat even in three on one. On the other hand, if I had a gun they would have to diminish the distance asap, otherwise I would have a huge advantage. I could read from their faces how carefully they waged their next move. I knew that sooner or later this bluff would come out and I didn't want to be in their range by then. The three buff guys were seriously pissed off and I was certain a few broken bones were the least I could look forward to. Well, as long as that girl would escape… I didn't even dare to check on her since I was already running out of time. After gathering courage, they began to slowly engage once again, so I decided to risk everything.

I took the deepest breath I could and then I shouted at the top of my lungs. "SOMEBODY, HELP! THERE'S A FIRE! ANYBODY!"

The confusion caused by that bought me a few seconds to act. Continuously screaming, I rushed towards their leader, delivering a precise punch into his throat. He chocked and went green. Using that, I landed the second blow at his nose. A shallow crack rang out. I had no clue to whom the broken bones belonged to as due to the adrenaline circulating through my veins, I didn't feel any pain. The troublemaker dropped face down on the ground. Did I knock him down for good? I didn't have the privilege to make sure as his enraged by my doings companions attacked with the doubled power.

Barely dodging the grasp of one of them, I took a quick peek around. The path towards the Basilicom was out of question and the other one was too risky. I didn't have much stamina, so unless I were to make it to other people before they got me, that would be the end. The only solution was to stall them here until somebody came to check what was going on. Of course, that was if anyone was to come.

Keeping on making noise, I ran towards the wall on which I spotted a broom. Although it wasn't a weapon which could turn the tides in my favor, if I used it well, I might get a chance to reposition. I firmly grabbed it with both hands and aiming for left underling's throat, I charged with the pointy end forward.

I thought marking repetitive manner of attack would successfully fool him and apparently, I wasn't wrong. When I lowered the stick right under his rib he froze. Luckily, I hit the perfect spot and as the benefit I could brake free out my enemies' clutches.

Now all I had to do was to climb the stairs up and I would be saved. I was sure they wouldn't dare to pursue me into Basilicom's grounds. Since she was no longer here, I assumed the girl must have also escaped. Somehow, in spite of having a huge disadvantage, I was about to snag a double victory. What was left was the last straight line. Maybe I shouldn't get too cocky. If I was to trip now because of overconfidence, that would hurt even more. My legs were slowly giving out, but I successfully used the unconscious body as a stepstool to jump and gain some distance. Or at least I thought so. "You're not getting away!" An iron grip closed on my ankle, bringing me back to the reality in more than one meaning of this expression.

In all of calculations I didn't take into account one thing. That I would have to deal with their full numbers once again. This mistake was a grave one. My head bounced off the pavement and a splitting pain nearly made me faint on the spot. My vision went blurry, but even with that I could see two other silhouettes dumbly grinning at my misfortune. Fuck my life… "Fucker broke my nose and thinks he's getting away? No fucking chance!" He yelled into my ear with a slightly changed voice. "Boys, we're gonna show him hell…" Don't call the hospital, take me straight to the morgue afterwards… I was practically sure I wouldn't be getting out of this mess alive. I prayed that saving her would redeem all of my sins, however, at that moment a miracle occurred.

Though for some this outcome could be extremely predictable, the cavalry arrived on the last second. "What on Gamindustri is going on here?" The sharp voice belonged to the CPU Purple Heart. Considering the circumstances, she was the last person I would expect to save me. "Oh, shit! It's one of the CPUs! Run!" "But what about him?" "Forget it now!" Utterly panicked, the aggressive trio retreated from the scene as fast as their legs allowed them to.

"Phew. That was a close one." I laughed nervously as Neptune flew down to my side. "Secretary, what happened? You said you were going to wait at the entrance." "I did. Sorry for not keeping the promise." "What about those guys? Why did they attack you?" She asked, checking on the wound on my forehead. I could feel that her fingers were trembling. Was it that bad? Unintentionally, I pictured my brain pouring out. "They were harassing some girl. I stepped in and that's the result." "You should've called me for help. You're not strong enough to take on such opponents!" "I know, I know. It's just I thought they would do something terrible to her." I wasn't sure whether she smiled or frowned after I said that, but I noticed corners of her mouth move. "Ouch. What was that for?" I was certain that she rubbed my most likely cracked skull on purpose. "I stopped the bleeding for now. It should do the trick until we will get you some stiches. Let's go inside first. Can you walk?" "I think so…" Though the dizziness was hardly manageable, it quickly faded after she helped me up. "That's good. Stay close to me and if anything happens, feel free to lean on my shoulder. It's not a long walk, but we can't rule brain damage out yet." If you meant to reassure me, you failed miserably Neptune… Instead, I only became tenser. Even so, I fully focused my attention on walking to prevent any unnecessarily thoughts about the worst-case scenario.

"She got away?" Neptune turned to me as we were climbing the stairs. "Oh, yeah. It seems so." "And who would have thought my Secretary was such a hero." She giggled. "I bet she's really thankful to you." "I don't know about that. Nowadays not many people bother to show gratitude." "Sadly, I'm afraid you might be right…" "By the way, how did you find me?" "When I went out, I heard you screaming, so I transformed and rushed at the top speed. A second later and I can't imagine what state you would be in…" "Yes, thank you Neptune. You saved my life." "But why fire though? It was a smart move to make ruckus, though shouldn't you at least tell the truth?" "I'm not talking about you, of course, but to an average person, if someone were to yell murderers, it's a sign to stay away from the area. However, if it's just fire, the likelihood of them to follow is much higher." "Anyway, I'm glad you're fine. Oh, that reminds me, I haven't asked about it yet." "About what?" Neptune playfully peered towards me with a mischievous grin on her face. "Was she cute? That girl, I mean." Tricky question, so I probably should look for a diplomatic way out of this subject. "I couldn't see well. She looked like if she had lots of cash though. Why?" "Never mind. Just curious." "If you are that curious then look ahead. She's right in front of us." "Huh? What?" A bit further along the path, there was someone in a rather characteristic outfit laying on the ground.

"Hey, are you okay?" When we rushed to her, I knelt to check her pulse. No answer. At least her chest seemed to move, so I knew she was breathing. "Hello, can you hear me?" I repeated, gently slapping her cheek. Still nothing. What should I do in situation like that? I searched my memory for anything which could turn up useful, but then, I was struck by a sudden realization. "Snoore." She was just asleep. "Secretary…" "What should we do about her? Shall I wake her up?" "Secretary, this is Noire…" … "Noire, you mean the CPU?" Neptune nodded affirmative. If she was a goddess, then… Suddenly I felt extremely embarrassed by my actions. "Let's get her inside. She was acting strange back then, so something must be wrong if she dropped like that. C'mon. Give me a hand."

After we dragged a deeply sleeping goddess back into her home, Neptune gave a proper treatment to my wound. Unexpectedly, in her HDD form she was rather skillful and thanks to her, I didn't have to waste time for a visit in a public hospital. When it was done, we began to wait for Noire to finally wake up in her office.

However, despite the time passing, she was still comfortably asleep. For that reason, I was slowly getting worried, but I was told to ignore it and just stay on stand-by. Neptune, on the other hand, decided to use this chance to freely roam around the entire house. Even though I personally didn't approve of such behavior, I was in no position to stop her. And frankly, I thought it was better to have her out than stay. When she was bored she could make so much noise that even a dead man would rise from his grave.

I had full awareness of the fact how bad it was for me to stay here alone. Trying to look from her perspective, if she was to open her eyes and have a stranger watching over her, she would definitely freak out. Any woman and not only them would. I might had been let in, but since not by one of the inhabitants of this apartment, I still felt like a intruder. Stiffly standing next to the wall, I wondered what I should say to explain this situation if it was needed soon.

From my spot I had a perfect visibility over the whole room. In Planeptune, the area supposed to be an office was transformed into a storage. I considered going there to clean a little, however, anytime I tried to open the door, I was getting an impression as if I was about to be burrowed by an avalanche of heavy things, so I decided not to get close, at least for the time being.

On the contrary, Lastation's CPU had her working area precisely organized. On top of a long dark desk there was a computer placed and next to it, there were some documents. Close to them, I saw a box full of pens, pencils and many other writing utensils. Slightly behind the desk, I noticed a large movable standing lamp which flawlessly illuminated the entire workplace. Taking to an account overall perfection of this design, I could deduct this goddess must have paid a lot of attention to stuff like that.

I couldn't help but to feel that I entered a house of a decent CPU, who properly fulfilled all of her duties. Upon this realization I had become even more nervous. Damn… If I were to continue awkwardly stand here, it would make me seem even more suspicious, I thought and scanned the area for something to kill the time.

Then I noticed a bookshelf. Carefully I sneaked up towards it to take a look. Encyclopedias, history books, law, medicine… There were many more of similar tomes. Pretty much, titles befitting the place. I kind of expected to find Machiavelli's _The Prince_ somewhere around, however, there was no sight of this position. Maybe it didn't exist in this world in the first place... Wondering about that, a certain cover on the lowest shelf caught my attention.

There was no description or anything and its color was surely standing out. I knew what I was trying to do was improper, but still, I had a hard time preventing myself from reaching out for this volume. Fortunately, or not, at that moment a sudden shriek stopped my hand halfway.

"KYAAAAAAAAH! H-how did you g-get here?!" My worst worries came true and I was left speechless. On the sofa, where she was sleeping so far, the goddess of Lastation was now curled into a ball and shaking in an attempt to stay the furthest away from me. That could have been a terrible occasion to do so, yet it was actually the first time I got a closer look on her face.

The most standing out feature for me were her red eyes. Apparently, in Gamindustri such shades were quite common, even among normal people. Contrasting to her long black hair (made into twin tails), her skin was unnaturally pale. Of course, there could be many factors explaining it, but I thought there was something unhealthy about it. Anyway, it wasn't time to think about that. "L-lady Noire… Good evening. I hope you're well." I mustered everything I had to regain composure. "That's not the point! You did something to me, didn't you?!" She must have been implying that I raped her and began to carefully inspect her body under the cover of a blanket Neptune put on her before. Shit, unless I had a death wish I needed to take control over this conversation. "Only brought you home. You collapsed on the road to the Basilicom." "I collapsed?" Her eyes widened. "Yes, we were worried about you. Oh, that reminds me, please excuse me for a moment…" I opened the door leading towards interior and called out. "Neptune, she's awake!" "Neptune? You're with her?" "That's correct. I understand it might be a rather uncomfortable situation for you but allow me to continue the story once she joins us." And with that, both of us could let out a sigh of relieve.

"Hey, Noire!" Probably closing the door was a mistake as literally a second later Neptune burst in, nearly breaking my nose with it. Luckily, I dodged or it would have definitely hurt. "Don't throw yourself on me like that!" "Why? I'm sure you immensely enjoyed every single moment of that." "That's not the point." "You're not denying, huh?" "Ugh, can you just tell me what's going on?" "Of course, Lady Noire. I'll make a quick summary for you…" There was no point in lying, so I gave her a full report.

"So, it wasn't a dream…" She murmured to herself once I finished. "If there's anything you need, please let us know and we will help you." "No, no. I'm fine. It's just… I guess three days without sleep got me harder than I thought… Once I rest up a little, I'll be back in top shape." "Three days awake? Have you switched roles with our dear nerd of a goddess?" "That's not it, Neptune! I haven't been playing games. There was a large monster outbreak in one of the cities, so I had to go there for a while. Ugh… Can you imagine it? Even I was barely able to keep up." "So, you don't know where our cute little sisters are hiding right now?" With that question attitude of the local CPU instantly changed. "They are not here?" She asked in a genuine fright. "Nope. Nepgear didn't return home. That's why we're here since there was no way to contact you." "For real?! Couldn't you tell me something as important faster?! We have to go and…" She tried to get up, only to fall down touching her head. "Lady Noire, are you okay? Do you need water or anything?" I immediately rushed to her side. "I'm alright. Just felt a bit dizzy. It's already over. You don't need to treat me like if I was dying or something. I can handle it on my own." "I'm sorry?" "No, I should be the one to apologize. Because of my weakness a bystander got harmed. Ugh, I hate to admit how badly it speaks about me as the CPU to get strangers involved into my problems..." In my opinion, being able to realize own failures was making up for it at least twice. Besides, I didn't hold any grudges against her. "You don't need to be. If I were stronger nothing would have happened in the first place…"

"Oh, that reminds me. I haven't officially introduced you guys yet!" Suddenly Neptune jumped on her spot. "Good point. I should've started with it. I'm…" "Noire, this is my Secretary. Secretary, meet Noire, or the CPU Black Heart of Lastation, etc." Not again… Yet another time I was interrupted before I could say my full name. Every single time! "I'm Michael Runcorn. Honored to meet you." Yes, I did it! Though I accidently raised my voice.

"Uaaagh! He has a name!" After a moment of awkward silence caused by my outburst, Neptune gave her shocked reaction. "Yeah and how many people do you think already discarded this story at this point? I'm not some cheap nameless self-insert protagonist for goodness sake. I have my own identity!" "Still a shocker! And introducing main heroine before protagonist's name is probably quite unique, don't you think?" "Umm, I won't even pretend I understand what you are talking about…" Bewildered by our short exchange Noire scratched her head. "Anyway, no offence meant, but that's a rather uncommon name. How should I address you?" "Just Michael. I'm fine with the first name. Same goes for you too, Neptune. It might be a little confusing if you are to keep calling me Secretary." "Eh? I already got used to it. Can't it become your nickname?" "Well, I guess, as long as I know you're referring to me…" I sighed.

"Noire, do you have any beds for us? We will be staying over for the night." "Beds? Aren't we going to look for our sisters?!" "Whom are you trying to fool? You're out of fuel, honey. He's wounded and I'm hungry. Not to mention it will get dark in a sec. We won't be able to save them unless they bump into us, you know?" Neptune's remark was clearly on point. In this state, our party wouldn't be able to accomplish much. Not like I would be useful for them in the full health as well… Apparently, Noire also understood that and resigned from her plans. "Guest rooms are free. I'm sorry I won't prepare them for you. I need to retire to the bed myself." Saying that, she stood up and after we wished her good night, walked out of the office.

"Shall we go too? Tomorrow's gonna be a pretty busy day, huh?" "Wouldn't it better to have me stay here instead? If we were to encounter stronger enemies I would only bring you guys down." "Nope. Of course, not. I bet there will be puzzles that only you can solve, or stuff like that. It's always this way." "I wish I knew from where you take such confidence…" "Secretary, you just need to believe in it!" "In what?" "I dunno. Just do it! Make your dreams come true..." She shrugged her shoulders.

"By the way, how did you like Noire? Is she your type? You've been getting along surprisingly good." "I won't even comment this one…" Sure, she was pretty and seemed rather intelligent and hardworking. A perfect girl, or a goddess, some would say. Although, since I paid a little more attention during our conversation, I noticed something was off about her. This CPU must have had a bit of narcissistic strike as she was more concerned with how today's events would affect her image and didn't actually pay any attention to my health or offender's. What if we killed those guys afterwards and conveniently skipped that part? Maybe I was overthinking it from tiredness, though I would undeniably feel more comfortable around her if she at least brought up those matters.

"Neptune?" "What's up?" "Shops still open, right?" "Yep, I think so, why?" "If I am to come with you, I need to go and buy something." "Cool. Want to me to come along?" "Thanks, but you don't have to. I grasped more or less the layout of town on the way here." Despite the fact Lastation and Planeptune were nearly like two different worlds, there were many similarities in their structures, so I didn't find it problematic to memorize streets. "Alright, as you wish. Go and have fun. And remember to stay out of trouble!" "About that… I think it's going to be a bigger shopping. Can I get the second part of my salary now?" "Oh, now you got me intrigued. Sure thing. Is that much enough?" She took a bunch of credits out of her pocket and showed them to me. "I hope so. I'll give the rest to you back." "No need to. Spend to your heart's content." "Thanks, so I will be going then." "Yeah, I'll wait so you won't have to put up a tent outside." With that, I left the Basilicom and headed out. It was already a late evening and the moon began to slowly make its way over the town. A perfect hour for that kind of purchases, I thought and prayed everything would go smoothly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. Out of reach.**

"Ugh, are we there yet?" "Shut it, Neptune. Stop being so noisy. I said a minute ago that we are nearly there!" "Calm down, Lady Noire. I'll carry her if she starts to fall behind." "Uwah, I'm not a kid anymore!" "Then don't act like a one! Walk faster or you will be ditched here." "Secretary, you wouldn't do such thing to a good ol' me, would you?" "…" "Nepu! He's already Noire's! You were supposed to be mine, not hers." Despite the initial difficulties, our party slowly advanced towards the area known as Jet Set Peak where younger siblings of both CPUs were supposed to go on a picnic.

We were walking through a small forest when Noire matched to my pace. "I appreciate you want to help out, but if situation gets dangerous, leave it to us, okay? Although you have some equipment now, it doesn't mean you can act recklessly." "Yes, I know. At least I can protect myself from smaller fishes, so you won't have to be distracted in case of emergency." That was the main reason why I bought this set yesterday. A pretty basic, but still decent katana and a sturdy leather armor. Apparently, since it had extremely high elemental resistances it costed quite a fortune, so I hoped it would be sufficient for a while. "Now I think about that, last night I met one of your friends, Neptune." "Whoa, whom?" "Falcom. That cheerful adventurer. She gave me some tips while shopping and even promised to teach me how to fight later." "That's really nice of her." "Yeah. I'll do my best." "That's a good spirit. If you are that willing to train, then I guess it wouldn't hurt to support you a little. Remind me later and I will give you a few pointers on organizing training regime if I have time." "Thank you, Lady Noire." Though somehow, I felt it would be deadly for someone of my level … Progress was made gradually, so jumping into deep waters on a first day could have fatal consequences. Fortunately, this subject was shortly after dropped as we left the trees behind and a completely different scenery appeared in front of our eyes.

If we could afford to do so, I would most likely stop here for a moment to enjoy the view. Right ahead there was a small river which current ended in a pond. The water in it was crystal clear, however, I wouldn't risk drinking out of it yet. In a world of magic, such a miraculously looking liquid could be as well a disguise, hiding a lethal poison against thirsty travelers.

In the background, I could see a lone mountain. It wasn't high, but still rather massive. From the side of stone layer, there was a gap, which seemed to be a cave's entrance. I wished I wouldn't have to go there. If there were places with guaranteed 100 percent chance of troubles, it had to be underground. That was a lesson I received from horror movies and games.

No matter how beautifully it looked, there was something terribly out of place disrupting the balance. Though on the first glance I thought a battle had taken place here that wasn't entirely true. When we got closer, I could already say that a picnic was indeed held in this area once.

"I know this carpet. Uni must have brought it from home." As we began investigation the first clue came out in instant. Although I wouldn't call it a carpet anymore, thanks to it we could be sure that CPUs' sisters really spent their time here. "Looks like if something heavy stomped on it." "Agreed. But what? There shouldn't be any giant monsters around…" "Look guys, I found a basket!" Neptune called us from a small distance. "Same modus operanti, I dare to say…" The basket was completely smashed together with its contains. I could see a colorful jelly substance 'bleeding' out of the container. "We should search around for more evidence. Unless the damage was made afterwards, there should be some signs in which direction they went next." I suggested. "You might be right. Okay, so if no one has any objections then I'll go down the river, Neptune will cover the forest and you, Michael, check around the mountain. If anything attacks you, just run. I would rather have my records clean from dead party members, alright?" Neither I nor Neptune protested and just nodding to acquired commands, we left towards designated to us places.

As to be expected, my task turned out to be the easiest and the hardest one at the same time. When I was done with exploring the picnic site and circling around the mountain, I stood in front of the cave entrance. Instructions I received didn't actually mention going inside of it, so I guessed that she wouldn't held it against me if I didn't search there alone. However, given how portentous this place seemed to be, maybe I should at least take a peek? Cowardice wouldn't really bring me anywhere in this world, but better be safe than dead, as some wise man had said. Leaving my bag on the ground, I went in with just my flashlight and the blade hanging from my waist.

Each of my steps deeply echoed throughout the dungeon. If it wasn't for the source of light, I would have to go back already. It was so damn dark… I had no experience with escapades like this but as my common sense was hinting, following the wall with one of my hands and keeping track of the ground nearby would highly decrease likelihood of falling into a pit. Truth to be told, it was one of the least concerning me issues. Getting out later would be still more challenging.

Ignoring my previous ideas, I ended up going deeper. It may have been foolish of me to do so, however, the time for regrets would eventually come. I was certain of it. Avoiding all kinds of crushed rocks on the way, I slowly made my way through a dark corridor.

Besides my footsteps, the only sound I could hear was my racing heart. I felt like if it was about to burst out of my chest anytime and I couldn't calm down at all. Not even breathing techniques were helping, nor holding to the handle of my katana. I was sure that in this state I could slash at any sight of sudden movement, no matter if it was an ally or foe. Geez, what was I thinking? That had to be the worst idea of my entire life! Being on the edge, I didn't even notice that walls began to gradually widen as well as the ceiling went up.

Soon after, I arrived to a large chamber. Surprisingly, I could turn off the flashlight since because of artificial sources of lightness it was nearly as bright as outside. On top of each of six supporting columns, I noticed a large diamond-like crystal, which must have been responsible for this phenomenon.

If I were to compare this place to anything, the first impression would be an ancient shrine abandoned by its believers. Once it could be quite spectacular, however, in front of my eyes were only ruins. I couldn't even guess what they were used to portrait as remains of 5 different sculptures were already too far from being recognizable. It was kind of depressing, so I decided to move along towards the opposite end of the hall, where I caught a glimpse of a closed door.

In midway, I stopped for a moment to see that those pillars had monuments of muscular men in variety of poses engraved on them. "Awaken, my masters." Of course, there was no response to my summon.

Finally, I reached the last checkpoint before my destination – a statue of a dragon. Unlike the other ones, its state was nearly perfect. It was preserved so realistically that for a moment I felt like if it was about to breathe fire any second. The work had so many details that I wished I had a camera on me. Such masterpiece should be made public, so everyone can enjoy it as much as I did now. However, after I took a look from every possible angle, a sudden realization struck me.

The position of this sculpture was a little off. Destroyed ones were standing symmetrically, yet this stood out here, in a middle of the hall... I doubted a possibility of it being moved and even if it truly was, then from where? No matter how much I scanned the chamber, I couldn't find a spot from where it could have been taken without destroying the harmony. Then why…? I stopped for a moment. So many things weren't summing up that I shouldn't mess with this thing. Sooner I checked what I needed, the better. If I were to activate some sort of a trap or a curse… I slowly began to walk backwards, avoiding blinking at any cost. Unexpectedly, at that moment I hit something and an ear-piercing crack rang out.

I turned to see what it was. A vase? Ceramic shards laying around the platform must have indicated such answer. Anyway, what was it doing here? The way it was located was so random, like if somebody had just placed it for me to bump into. I sighed with a relieve. My mind was racing, but I was slowly cooling off. Then, I felt a wave of heat on my back and all of the progress in calming down instantly vanished. Getting ready for a jump scare, I turned my head around once again.

Until that moment, I used to disbelief in a saying one could drop dead from fear, although, I was proven wrong. What I saw made me stop breathing. Also, I could no longer feel my heartbeat. If that was the case, I would be already gone, but since no darkness had come to take me within, I knew that I was still on the side of living.

The alleged statue of a dragon opened its eyes, locking its gaze on me. It seemed to be curiously checking out the person who interrupted its sleep. Dragon's eyes sparked with fury. It was not a trick of light, nor an illusion. It had to be a real thing. Knowing that, there was only one thing to be done… RUN!

How much of luck I had to meet a freaking dragon in the first dungeon I entered?! I ran as fast as I could, given the visibility and state of the tunnel. Good news, in all of this mess, the monster wasn't exactly as fast as the wind. It continued to heavily stomp in my direction and if I were to suddenly stop, then it would be a game over. I didn't know how I managed to successfully find the exit from this goddamned cave with no light, but I did it. As the brightness of the sun nearly blinded me, I cleared my throat and… "NEPTUNE, NOIRE! A WILD DRAGON APPEARED! HELP!"

If they were out of my voice range, I was genuinely fucked. I couldn't keep sprinting for eternity and it wasn't a big secret this beast had more stamina than I did. Sooner or later, there were three options awaiting: being chomped in half, getting roasted to charcoal or being crushed into the ground. None of them sounded inviting, so I prayed the CPUs better arrived on time. However, aimlessly dashing forward, I made a fatal mistake. I tripped and fell into the pond.

Water filled my eyes and eardrums. Though it was shallow enough for me to stand in, an abrupt vertigo made me unable to take any actions for a second. When I finally resurfaced coughing, it was already too late. The dragon was here, already preparing to fire at me. There was no more escape. Only death… Which didn't come as a rapid movement flashed right up my head.

"What are you waiting for, Secretary? I'll hold it to buy you time!" Once more Purple Heart became my savior with such an ideal timing. As she struggled in might duel against one of monster's claws, she yelled at me again. "Get going! NOW!" She wasn't messing around. After murmuring some inaudible response, I did as she told me and dove behind a boulder standing like 100 meters away.

Fuck. My breathing gradually returned normal. My luck parameter must have been ridiculously high. Just how low the probability of such encounter was? If it wasn't for Neptune I would have already become dragon's dinner. "Michael? What's going on?" I didn't even notice when Noire appeared. She seemed unaware of the fight taking place not so far away from us. "A freaking dragon out of nowhere!" Frankly, my nerves were still in a terrible shape and I could hardly control myself. "A dragon?! Where?" Her brow raised. "Where we split. Neptune's already battling it." "Stay put until we're back!" She shouted and transformed into the goddess form.

Even though it was only for a very short while, I managed to see the CPU Black Heart. As long as her body was concerned, she didn't change much, however, ironically to her name, her hair turned snow white and it was now freely falling down her waist. Also, her eyes became lime green and were similar to Neptune's. For some strange reason, my mind went blank as I watched her fly away.

… "That's nonsense." I slapped the sudden thought out of my mind. There was no way…

Around 5 minutes passed when Purple Heart found me and asked to come along. "Secretary, this monster is an Ancient Dragon. Do you know what it means?" "It's pretty rare. Legendary status I read in some book." I lowered my head to see its unmoving face on the ground. As expected from two battle-hardened CPUs, they subdued it without getting a single scratch. "Don't try to be smart now! What were you thinking to mess around it, idiot?! Do you want to die or something?!" Noire spat out in my direction. She must have already known how it went, but I didn't understand why she was so mad at me. "It ambushed me when I was exploring the cave. Speaking of which, we should go there and check out something. I think somebody had been fighting there recently." To be honest, it was more of a bluff to have their attention off me. Though pretty much I was the victim, their blaming gazes were slowly filling me with the feeling of guilt. "Don't change the subject. I thought you understand risks of such expeditions, but how you acted was highly irresponsible. You should have waited for us before going down there." "But…" You seriously think I volunteered to be attacked? Literally in the last second, I stopped myself from delivering a few harsh comments. "No buts on this one. Neptune's right. You promised me… If you were working for me, you would have already been fired!" "Umm… Guys?" In all of this ranting I seemed to be the only one who had spotted the unexpected threat, however, I was currently being ignored. "I won't go as far as that, though if you don't rethink your attitude I won't be taking you out anymore." "Just listen to me and…" "You're still mumbling about something? Excuses won't take you anywhere." They didn't even intend to let me talk and continuously pushed me back until it was already too late.

In order to avenge its fall, the dragon clenched to leftovers of its life for so long and aimed its last fiery breath in our direction. By the trajectory, Noire, who stood a few steps on my right would have been affected the most. Afterwards, everything happened so fast I could barely notice.

My muscles seemed to move on their own and made me lunge forward, unsheathing my katana. But why though? I knew it was useless. Then I threw it away with full force.

In the meantime, she also became aware of the situation. Unfortunately, the fire was already on its way. There was no escape…

A wave of heat was nearly upon us when I pushed Noire out of the line of fire. As she fell back, our eyes met for a second. The last one for me, I laughed ironically, engraving into my mind her expression. She desperately attempted to pull me towards her, but before our hands connected, my consciousness faded. At least I didn't have to feel the pain of being burned alive…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5. Lost in the flames**

There was something satisfying in this state of nothingness. In the end, afterlife turned out to be so plain… No hell, no heaven… Just everlasting darkness. No longer I had to do anything. However, wouldn't it eventually get boring?

I looked around the vacant space. I was completely alone. No signs of other people or any other forms of existence. This place was specifically mine, wasn't it? Meaning, I would stay here for the eternity. Maybe it wasn't such a terrible idea?

I shook my head, remembering whom I really was. I wasn't a type who would gave up to stagnation like that. Even if I was already dead, I couldn't stay idle. I had to explore this place. Find all of the secrets or even the exit, if there was a one. After finally acquiring something precious in life, I couldn't accept letting it go. For that reason, I was ready to conquer death itself.

Suddenly, I heard a woman's voice calling me. I didn't know who she was, but she must have been far away from my location. "Who are you?" I unsuccessfully tried to localize the source. Once again, she said my name. This time, since her voice was more audible, the gap between us had to be narrower. "What do you want from me?" I demanded as I was slowly getting fed up with this performance. "Michael…" A cold shiver went through my spine as the voice whispered into my ear.

This could be other bravery or foolishness, but I turned around, only to see no one was there. Instead, I found myself standing in a stone corridor.

Although the tunnel was hardly comparable to the one I descended recently, I felt like if I had been here before. How come, I wondered. Until today I didn't really visit such places. Thinking about it wouldn't change anything. I decided to see what was on the other side.

Soon after, shiny crystals began to grow out of all surfaces. They were cheerfully sparking in many shades, but red ones were dominant. Because of that, the whole area was illuminated by a creepily ominous aura. The further I went; this radiance was getting stronger. I felt uneasy due to it. My body had to be trembling, or at least I thought so. I wasn't entirely sure if I even had any physical body in the first place. Why was I still here? Just to suffer? Or was there a deeper meaning to this journey? I knew I had to go forward since it was the only direction.

Ultimately, I arrived to my destination. Dead end. I loudly swore. It was such a disappointing outcome. Did I go so deep only for this kind of conclusion? No, I wouldn't admit defeat. I was ready to demolish this obstacle, even with just my own hands if I had to. That couldn't be it! It was impossible that was all the corridor had to offer. I was certain something was waiting to be revealed behind it. Something I had to see. I clenched my fist and raised it to charge up a hit. However, at that moment my arm had been seized by an unknown force.

I stopped breathing. The grip seemed warm, yet it was iron, not letting me budge even a millimeter. "Michael, don't do that. You will get hurt." I sensed someone's hand caressing my skin. "Leave me alone. I need to see it!" "You will only get hurt…" She repeated, not complying to my request. "Do you want to get hurt that badly?" "I don't care about that. I just want to go back where I belong." I replied. "What is behind this door holds nothing of use to achieve your goal. Please, do not waste your time." "So, what do I have to do then? Who are you? How do you know my name? What is this place?" Those were only a couple of questions I had in my mind, but it seemed even they weren't going to be answered as the woman remained silent. "Michael, do you want to learn all of it?" Finally, she spoke up. "I wouldn't have asked otherwise." "Michael… One day you will understand…" "Are you fucking kidding me?" "Although, I shall give you a hint. You will know when _it_ happens." "What?" "This."

Breathing heavily, I got up, tightly covering my chest with both hands. I knew it was probably too late, but I tried to cover up the hole in my chest.

Once I stopped hyperventilating and mustered enough courage to check, I looked down. Everything seemed normal. I could have sworn, I just had been pierced by a sharp object. Since that memory was already fading, I assumed it had to be a nightmare.

I found myself laying on a bed. How did I get here? The last thing I remembered was… Argh, what it was? Though my mind was hazy I recollected events from Jet Set Peak. "Fire…" I mumbled under my nose examining my body. Despite the fact I did get burnt, it unexpectedly turned out to be in perfect shape. How? This time last second rescue was out of question.

Never mind that now. I was alive and only that mattered. "Heh…" I let out a small chuckle, which quickly transformed into nearly maniacal laughter. However, I quickly regretted losing control as I realized I wasn't alone.

"Lady Noire?" She stepped back with a strange expression when she was found out. She must have been creeped out by my behavior, I deducted. "Y-yes?" "Good morning. I'm glad you're doing fine." To hide my own embarrassment, I casually smiled to her. "By the way, nice apron. You look really good in it, like always." "Uh?" I didn't exactly understand why I was complimenting her at that moment. Surely, I must have sounded rather strange doing that. "Anyway, how can I help you?" A short while passed until Noire regained composure. "I just heard some noises coming out from your room, so I came to check. That's it. But it seems I didn't have to worry even if I really was in the first place..." "Noise?" "Yeah. You were talking to somebody, weren't you? Was it Neptune? If not, then know I won't forgive you bringing strangers into my house without consent." Huh? "Was I talking? Are you sure about that? I have just awoken." "Hmpf. Play dumb if you want to. Anyway, since you're back on your feet then I guess you must be hungry. Lucky for you, I accidently made too much dinner, so someone has to finish it now. Because of your condition I'll make a special one-time exception and bring a plate for you. But don't get used to such treatment. That's only because sick people shouldn't strain themselves too much. Otherwise I wouldn't bother. It's just out of politeness." Ending her monologue, she energetically walked out of the room. "Thanks." Though you probably wouldn't hear it anyway…

Apparently, I didn't get to rest long and I already had another visitor. "Knock, knock!" Neptune's head peered out from half closed door. "Noire's sweet voice was coming from here right now. Have our princess paid a get-well visit to her hero?" "Skipping the unnecessary part, yes. She'd just left." "I see. So, how are you, Secretary?" "It's gotta be a miracle I haven't kicked the bucket yet." "Yep, I thought you would become Planeptune fried chicken, if you know what I mean. But it seems that expensive armor of yours came in handy. Dang, wish I had such fire resistance on my own." How could a mere piece of reinforced leather protect me in that situation? Though I didn't see any logic behind it, I felt it wasn't a joke. "What happened afterwards?" "After you were K.O.-ed? That sword you threw hit where it needed and finished off the dragon. I left you to Noire's care and went to check on the place you mentioned. I found our scared and exhausted sisters there. Next, we somehow made it back to the Basilicom. The end." "So, in the long run everything turned out okay… Sorry for causing trouble for you again." "Don't beat yourself up because of that. If we were alone, we wouldn't even consider checking underground. Thanks to you, two cuties and future of both nations were saved. Hurray for our hero. Yay!" A wry smile appeared on my face. Me, a hero? I certainly didn't intend to be one. I wasn't capable enough for such title. Besides, all I wanted was to help in search of missing siblings. "Hah, just messing with you. Looks like your food's on its way." Neptune was right about that. Right when she spoke up, Noire carefully entered with a tray.

"Dinner to a bed? How lucky this guy can get?" Neptune grinned with a pretended sigh. "Oh, I didn't see you there." "Yeah, I bet." I didn't understand why, but this teasing seemed to be less playful than usual. I wouldn't go as far to call it hostile, however, her tone raised my suspicion that they could have had a row when I was out. "Excuse me… Let me pass with this, please. It's rather heavy." Neptune stepped back as she was asked to and jumped on the side of my bed. "Phew. I didn't know what you like, so I added a bit of everything. Here you are…" Shyly smiling, she gently placed the tray on the top of the bedside cabinet. I had to admit, such unintentionally cute behavior was kind of refreshing, comparing to her typical bossy demeanor. She caught me a little off guard by it, so I quickly expressed my gratitude and inspected the dishes.

Indeed, she put a bit of everything there. Although, the main course was quite obvious. There was a tasty looking vegetable soup, but with floating noodles in addition to usual ingredients. Next to it, there was a plate with potatoes and meat and here, the variety began. I could add two kinds of sauces (light and dark), three different salads (lettuce, radish and cucumber with tomatoes) and a lemon dressing. As for someone who enjoyed simple meals this was way too complicated, nonetheless, I apricated the effort put. I wasn't able to decide on what to eat first. Should I just shove everything in without thinking? I took the spoon and sampled the soup. "How is it?" Noire asked with a voice full of anticipation. "Hmm… It's delicious." And even if it wasn't, I would probably tell her the same. I was such a weak guy… "I'm glad." She murmured with slightly reddened cheeks.

"This atmosphere is too dense for a third party like me. I'm suffocating! I need oxygen!" Suddenly Neptune, about whom I already forgot began to imitate noises of chocking. "I'll be going, so see ya later. And before that, a small tip for you, Secretary. If you don't understand why something changed, just step out of your shoes. Oh, and once you're up for some walking, come to the furthest guest room on the left. Let's have you introduced to my little sister!" With that, she swiftly made her way out, leaving us alone.

"What was that about?" "No clue." Though certainly that had to be a hidden message for me to decipher. Unless it was just a prank, bro. Anyway, in case I was wrong about it, I decided to contemplate those words later.

Truth to be told, I turned out to be surprisingly hungry and ended up devouring everything. Only after that I felt sated. "Once again, thanks for the food. It was amazing." Although she didn't have to, Noire stayed with me for the whole time, excusing herself with that she wanted to pick up the plates right after. Well, I could return them to the kitchen later on, but since she insisted, I didn't plan to go any deeper in her reasoning. She simply could have been needing them right away, okay? Therefore, I handed the tray back to her with no complains. "Lady Noire, can I ask you something?" I stopped her in the threshold. "Sure, I guess?" "Lady Noire, please marry me." "Wh-what?! From where did that come from?" "Sorry. I tried to be funny and failed. What I wished to say is that you're a great cook. I would give up on everything only if I could eat your food every day." "Then say it clearly. And don't exaggerate. I'm not that good to begin with…" "No need to be so humble. Anyway, if you excuse me, I'd like to go back to sleep. I'm still a bit achy." "Ah, sure. I'm leaving then."

After Noire closed the door I loudly exhaled and dropped back on the pillow. I could hardly name it, however, I felt there was something strange in the atmosphere of the Basilicom. Maybe Neptune was aware of it too? She was strangely perceiving at times. In fact, she even brought the problem to my attention in the first place. But the question was why? She clearly wanted to have me figure it out in my own discretion and since she acted so out of character while doing that, I had a feeling it had to be something important.

Anyway, for now full recovery was something I had to focus on. And afterwards, I had to get stronger. Last two days successfully reminded me how powerless I was, both physically and mentally. I promised myself I would go into serious training mode as soon as it was possible. I couldn't depend on sheer luck for my whole life. In order to be able to stay at Neptune's side, I had to take things in my own hands. For now, having enough skill and knowledge to keep myself out of harm's way should be sufficient. Though later I dreamt of becoming somebody she could depend on. Eventually I closed my eyes and had fallen asleep despite an uncomfortable sensation that I was forgetting about something crucial.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6. Morning practice**

Even though it was supposed to be a short visit, we ended up staying in Lastation for already more than a week. Noire didn't seem to be much bothered with that. Somehow, I had an impression she was enjoying how lively the Basilicom became with five of us living together. However, there was someone who didn't share such enthusiasm – Histoire. Some time ago she gave us an angry phone call about skipping on our duties, but after hearing the whole story, she apologized for the outburst and even suggested taking holidays for a faster recovery.

Of course, the idea especially came to Neptune's liking and together with her younger sister we agreed on going to hot springs in Lowee. As I had never been to a place like that, I couldn't help but to feel a bit anxious about. Although, I definitely anticipated the trip as well.

Also, we made contact with the CPU of that nation, named Blanc. She was to join us there from home, so we booked a single room for me and two doubles – one was reserved for Neptune and Nepgear, and the second for our special guests. Considering that they were also hurt in this whole Ancient Dragon incident, we decided that inviting Noire and Uni to occupy the last double was a proper thing to do. This seemingly easy quest was given to me and there the real trouble began.

I couldn't catch Noire even for a split second. Either she was always busy, closed in her office all day or went out with some official business. Though I knew goddesses had a bunch of responsibilities, the way we were passing each other every day made me feel afraid she was doing it on purpose. Because of that, 'drastic' means had to be used before I ran out of time.

With an intent to ambush her during her morning practice, I set the alarm at 5.30 am – half an hour before the time Noire usually would go out to exercise.

As quietly as it was possible, I casually went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I could have been still partially asleep, but it wasn't the only reason why my movements were so sluggish. I thought that if we were to meet in a more natural way, the conversation would go better. Well, if she realized I went that far just to see her, she could have mixed feeling about it and to be honest, I wouldn't blame her. I would probably feel the same if someone set such a trap for me first thing after dawn. Therefore, I made a few slices of bread with blackcurrant jam and in a snail pace, I began to consume them.

I didn't take long until I heard the sound of footsteps. As to be expected, no one else than Noire entered the kitchen. "I haven't thought I would see anyone here that early. Good morning." "Seeing myself up this early is a big surprise for me too. I was about to make a cup of coffee. Shall I make one for you as well?" "Well, I guess it won't hurt. Thanks."

"Ah, there's nothing better than a warm drink to start a day." Noire loudly exhaled and took another sip out of her cup. "I couldn't agree more. It helps to restart your body after the sleeping break." "Yeah. There has to be something to that. By the way, I've been curious about something for a while, Michael." "What is it?" "You are not from Planeptune, right?" How did she figure it out? I was shocked, but even if she were to suggest something along those lines, I should still keep the truth to myself. "Yeah. Though I'm not native, I live there now. Why?" "It's nothing. It's just I though you are so different from a typical citizen of that nation." I kind of understood her point. Majority of Planeptunians took after their goddess. They were easy-going, always friendly and easily satisfied. Especially the latter didn't match me at all… "Okay, I'm finished. Let's get going." I felt that asking her out at this point would be a bit awkward, so I guessed it had to wait until she was done with training. "What are you waiting for? You're coming with me." "Me? Where?" "Of course, outside, silly. Since you're already here, it would be a waste if you were to spend the morning lazing around. So, go on and change and let's meet up in the backyard in five minutes. I did promise to help you out with training before, so don't even think of truancy or being late, got it?" A scenario like that was impossible to predict. In a rather forceful way, I had turned out to be the one being invited. "Yes, ma'am." I gave in. Unless I wished to make her mad, I had no other choice but to follow.

"Finally. What took you so long?" I earnestly tried to reach the speed of light, yet I got scolded anyway. Frankly, two minutes hadn't passed since we saw each other the last time… "I'm sorry…?" In the end, I didn't dare to tell her that.

When I arrived, Noire had already been stretching. She was wearing a classical P.E outfit I knew so well from home: a white t-shirt and black shorts. Also, her hair was done differently, into some sort of a bun. I guessed such long pig tails weren't particularly convenient during physical activity. Those clothes highly contrasted with her usual elegant style and because of that I realized how small the age gap between us could be. If she wasn't a CPU we could be as well even classmates. "Is there anything wrong?" She tilted her head noticing my stare. "Nope..."

"First of all, let's do a couple of laps around the Basilicom. I'll lead the way. And be careful. There are some narrower paths." So, we began running… "Still doing fine? Looks like you've already improved." It was our second time passing the start line and to her surprise, I didn't feel tired at all. "I guess. Though I don't see myself running marathons for a long while." "Still it's quite impressive, considering how little time you had. You've been spending most of your days outside, I heard." "Yes. I usually work out with Falcom till the midday. And afterwards magic lessons…" "Wow, with whom may I ask?" "MAGES. Even though she's some screws loose, she really knows that stuff." "I see. I think I know about whom you are talking about. Well, chit-chatting can wait, let's increase the tempo."

After a few more laps we returned to the backyard for a short break. "I cannot believe it. Beaten by a greenhorn…" Noire sighed taking the drink I brought for her. Trying to show off, she must have ended up pushing herself beyond the limit and eventually, she dropped on the ground panting. It seemed that even a goddess couldn't sprint for over 10 minutes without a breather. I was smarter about that and avoided any reckless rushes. As the effect of steadily controlling my pace and respiration, now I was in a much better state than her. "Maybe we should call it a day?" I carefully suggested. "Of course, not! There's still so much to be done. Onto next point of the program!"

"Flexibility." Noire announced when we sat down on the grass. "Fighting it's not only about who's stronger and faster, but also, there are times when dodging is the only option. And what happens if your body doesn't move as you wish? You lose." I nodded to the lecture. "Watch me and try to copy as much you can. I'll give you a chance and go easy as it's your first time. Regardless, pay attention!"

However, the difficulty level of those exercises wasn't as low as proclaimed. Although there were times I felt I had cracked a rib or two, I continued to do my best. I already figured out that Noire enjoyed competitiveness and since I didn't mean to let her down, all I could do was to ignore the pain. Especially because of the fact she seemed somehow happier than I had ever seen her before.

Speaking of Noire, I noticed how agile she was. Even by an eye of a gymnastics ignorant, I could tell she would be able to compete with top Olympics athletes. "Hey, don't space out Michael. I want to do that one with touching toes. Can you give me hand?" "Sure. What do you need me to do?" "Just push my back a little." "Like that?" "Uagh!" She shivered upon my touch. "I wasn't ready yet! But that's what I meant. Only give me a second to prepare for it emotionally. Okay, on three. One… Two… Three!" I gave her a gentle push. "I nearly had it! Next try. Two and… Three!" We repeated the sequence; however, a tragedy had occurred – my hand slipped.

"Kyaaaaaah! Where do you think you're touching, pervert, lecher, idiot?!" I instantly jumped back, taking my hand from one of the most unfortunate locations it could slid – her breast. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to...! That was an accident!" I desperately pled for mercy. Though for a second Noire's gaze menaced with killing intent, after a short while her anger must have softened. "Well, I may be a bit too self-conscious about it. If you really didn't do it on purpose… I guess it can happen to anyone. That doesn't mean I won't keep an eye on you from now on anyway, so don't plan on doing anything funny or I'll beat you up. Now, last try and switch. Be extra careful, okay?"

She sure made me suffer a lot for this one mishap. When it was my turn, she mercilessly attempted to break my neck and only laughed at my protests, retorting with something like 'man up and stop being a wimp'. The message was clearly understood. Fortunately for both parties, this segment had come to an end before any other disasters could befall.

"For the last part I mainly use those dummies over there, but I think doing a mock battle would be more fun if you don't have anything against it." I didn't. As I was told, sparing with a living partner was far more beneficial than any theory. Besides, I was curious what kind of tricks I could learn from a CPU. "Here, take this one." She threw me one of the wooden swords and picked up the other for herself. "Ready? Show me all you have learnt. Go!"

Noire charged in my direction, slashing at my shoulder. I deflected the blow and stepped away, dodging the following sequence of attacks. "Why aren't you fighting back? It's supposed to be a duel." "I don't need to." "Hoping to tire me out, huh? Too bad for you, I already recovered." "That wasn't my objective." Parrying the incoming cut, I let myself be pushed back even more. "Uh? Then what?" "It's just I dislike hurting women." "You know, you will regret not taking me seriously!" "Hah, are you certain?" I effectively taunted her to put more pressure. "You shouldn't get so cocky when you hardly know how to hold a sword. It's not a game. You have to use both hands or this will happen."

Our weapons clashed. Without any doubt Noire greatly overpowered me, so only knowledge how to properly stand in such moments saved me from immediate defeat. However, this seemingly unfavorable struggle was also an element of my plan.

"I was waiting for that." Suddenly using the vector of her strength, I took my sword away and with a swift pirouette I was already on her back, hitting back of her knees. "Ouch, that's too dirty!" Noire lost balance for a second. "Changed your mind? Didn't you say you wouldn't attack me?" "I lied. Though not about the latter. Besides, didn't you tell me to give my all?" "I did… Ugh… I'm gonna to show what happens to cheaters like you!"

I hadn't expected to be able to last for so long in a showdown against a goddess. I was still a novice and my only 'good' point was creative usage of variety of cheap moves. On the other hand, Noire seemed to be an idealistic traditionalist, who preferred chivalrous style over effectiveness, thus to some extent I could quite well predict her next moves. That was, as long as I didn't run out of fuel which could happen any second now. To make the whole experience more enjoyable for her, I decided to end it before such unsatisfactory conclusion took place.

"You can't be running around all day. C'mere!" Reflecting yet another strike I switched sides with her. I tried to counterattack, sweeping horizontally in the direction of her ankles, but it failed. Noire avoided it by jumping up. In this manner we had already moved quite a lot from initial location and at that moment I was being pushed towards small pavement at the corner of the building. She must have thought if I had no place to dodge, the duel would end in no time. Definitely, she was right about that. Mobility and speed were supposed to be my main assets, so in this kind of area I wouldn't be able to utilize it. Once again, our swords met. I was sure sparks would fly around only if they were real, however, just an empty bang was produced by the reinforced wood. "Finally got you!" With satisfaction she pried my weapon out of the way. Instinctively, I dodged the following blow to the left, forgetting about presence of the wall.

With a full power my head slammed into the solid matter. Fuck. Lately I had been going through near skull-breaking events way too often. Still hazy, I bounced off to the opposite side and it turned out to be even a worse error.

The ground under my foot vanished and due to dizziness from the previous accident I couldn't recover. I fell.

But only for a short while as I felt Noire's grip around my wrist. Her slender fingers were unexpectedly small, fragile, yet so warm. "This time it connected…" I whispered smiling. "Huh?" "Nothing." "Are you okay Michael? Can you pull yourself up?" "I think so…" "Then do it now. I can't hold you forever in this position!" "Lady Noire… It's been a pleasure to spend time with you like today." "Don't speak in lines of a dying person. Just pull yourself up, you hear me?" "Lady Noire, that's it." "I said, stop messing around, idiot!" "Goodbye." I purposely slipped out of her grasp. "Michael!"

This scene could be considered dramatic only if it wasn't for a one tiny detail. Though from a higher point the fall looked rather steep, in reality it was a matter of five steps to a midsection. I knew I wouldn't take any damage from such a drop so I decided to use it as a joke. "Aaand… I'm dead." I laughed to Noire who was embarrassed because of her overreaction. "Eh, for what did I get so worked up over this guy?" She sighed in low voice and after giving me a scary look, she turned away. "If you're done with skits, I'm going home. My partner knocked down himself. What a disappointment…" Shaking her head in disbelieve Noire began to walk away. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. Why every time I try to be funny something like this happens?" My cries made her stop for a moment. "Of course, it's not like I was worried about you or anything, but if I really was, I would be seriously mad at you now." Although her words stated otherwise, her tone was clearly giving out hints of anger. "I'm sorry! Is there anything I could do to make it up to you?" "Hmm… I guess teaching you a proper lesson would be beneficial, so you won't fool around like that when it matters most. I will think about something." And once again she turned her back on me. Such behavior may have been too immature for someone of my age and status, however, thanks to it, I somehow managed to get closer to the goddess of Lastation – Noire.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7. Date–a–Noire – part 1.**

"And there's still more to come…" I loudly exhaled and made myself comfortable on the living room's armchair. As always, Falcom was going to give me hell, so the fact I was already tired didn't fill me with much of optimism. Perhaps I should cancel today's session? Nah. If I were to start skipping on trainings, I would eventually fully give up on them and such scenario was highly undesirable.

I was about to head back to my guest room and pass the remaining hour by reading a book when I heard a joyful greeting. "Good morning, Mr. Secretary!"

The girl who entered was Neptune's sister – Nepgear. On the first glance she might have looked like if she was the older one out of the two, but she was in fact younger. On the contrary to her sibling's, Nepgear's pink hair was long and silky, usually freely falling down on her shoulders. As for a CPU Candidate her appearance was unexpectedly normal. In my opinion, mostly because of the clothes she used to wear. Though certainly she didn't attend any schools, her favorite outfit was a classical sailor uniform.

"Morning. Feeling any better?" I nodded to her. Both she and Uni were badly injured by that goddamned Ancient Dragon. "Yes, thank you. I started to feel a bit bored staying all day in bed, so I thought it's time to get active." "As you wish. Remember not to push yourself too much. No one will blame you for taking it easy for a couple of days." "Okay. I will keep that in mind. Oh, I have an idea, Mr. Secretary, would you like some tea? I can make a cup for you." "If you are that kind, then sure. Thanks." "Alright. Please wait here. I'll back in a minute."

After Nepgear returned from the kitchen, she sat down on the sofa in front of me. "By the way, um… I don't know whether I should ask you, but when I woke up, I've seen you and Noire outside and…" "Is there anything wrong with that?" "No, no! Of course, not! I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to imply anything like that!" Though my question wasn't meant to sound threatening, she was already panicking. As a matter of fact, Nepgear was a huge pushover. "It's just… I've been wondering if… You already asked her out for the trip?" "Oh that… Not yet." "I see…" She gazed down with disappointment. "I don't know why you guys are so determined to have me do it, but don't worry. I'll take care of the job." "I hope so. I really want to go there with everyone." "Me too. Anyway, I slowly need to get going. I'm heading out." "Ah, see you later then, Mr. Secretary."

Why something as simple had to be always so hard to achieve? On countless occasions I had mocked characters from books and movies for stuttering while talking to girls, however, when it was now my turn, I wasn't much better. Maybe I had been too much of a loner back home? Having girl friends and having girlfriends could have been pronounced the same way, although in reality, those were two completely different cases. I sighed feeling slightly depressed. I really lacked of experience on this field…

"Ehm, Michael?" While I was passing the door to Noire's office, she had unexpectedly emerged out of it. "Could you come in for a moment, please?" Yeah, I agreed, even though I already had different plans.

"How can I help you, Lady Noire?" I engaged first, seeing how strangely she was acting. "It's just… About what happened earlier today…" I could see how hard mentioning it was to her. Frankly, Noire had to be the last person after Neptune whom I would consider as nervous in social contacts. More to that, I found her typical overconfidence kind of impressive. "I made my mind." She finally announced and slammed a small piece of paper on the desk.

"What's that?" I tilted my head. "Well, duh? A business card, dummy." "I can see that much. What of it though?" "Geez, isn't obvious? Take a look. Do I have spell it all out for you?" Nearly forcefully she shoved it into my hand. " _Ratatoskr_?" A restaurant? An expensively looking one too. "Besides, I still owe you for saving me back then, so consider it as my treat." "You don't have to…" "I do! Not to forget, somebody has to teach you proper manners, so I say two birds one stone. Even one incompetent attendant of any other CPU can bring bad fame to all of them and I cannot let my employees' good name be damaged by likes of you." "Okay…?" "You should be more enthusiastic about that. It's a great honor and dream of many, you know?" "Yeah, yeah. I get it. A date with a goddess sounds like this for sure." "A d-d-date?" For a second, I thought smoke was coming out of Noire's head, but apparently, she had quickly rebooted. "Anyway, I will see you there on 6pm. Make sure to wear proper clothes. This place has a strict dress code."

"Ugh, failed once again…" After being told where to come, I was practically removed from the study by extremely tense Noire. Well, it might have been a sudden notice, nonetheless, I didn't intend to reject this invitation. I had to reschedule my day and think what to do about a suit. Hopefully, there was a place to rent one for a night, so I had to ask around. First of all, I had to find Neptune. I hated to take money from her every time, however, as my case also confirmed, beginnings were problematic in terms of finances. One day, when I stabilize, I would pay her back to a single credit, I thought taking a turn.

"Ouch." Right behind the corner I bumped into Nepgear. "Are you okay? My bad, should have been more careful." Unexpectedly, she refused to take my hand and stand up. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean. I only wanted to ask you if you would like to have some sandwiches out. I didn't mean to eavesdrop!" "What?" "Please, don't be mad, Mr. Secretary." So, did that mean she overheard my conversation with Noire? "Kiddo, please. He wouldn't have figured it out if you didn't babble too much." "Neptune you too?" "Nepu! I'm not better!" Guilty as charged as they say… "So, what do you have on your defense?" It wasn't like I was particularly angry over it but being spied on wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling. "Nothing, Sir!" Neptune proudly saluted. "Eh, no comments… And before I forget, I have a favor to ask from you. Since you heard everything, you probably know what I'm thinking about and…"

"No worries. I got your back Secretary." She replied when I finished explaining my request. "Thanks." "Mr. Secretary! I have an idea!" Suddenly Nepgear perked up. "We can try _it_ out to help you even more." "It?" "I'll be right back!" And she was already gone… Clueless of what was happening, I looked at Neptune for answers, but she dismissed it with short 'you will see'. Not so long after, the younger of Planeptune sisters returned holding a small item in her hands.

"Headphones?" That was my first impression when Nepgear presented them to me. The silver device was very similar to a set of wireless headphones I had once seen on a shop display; however, they had some modifications. "I still haven't come up with a good name, but it's supposed to work like a telephone. If you plug one of these into your ear, you will be able to talk to anyone who holds the second end. Also, thanks to this tiny camera they will be more or less able to see what you are looking at! Sadly, I haven't been able to figure out how to make the last feature into two ways channel yet…" "It's okay. I think it's really impressive you created such a device on your own. Although, sorry to ask, but why are you showing it to me now?" "Isn't it obvious? We will become your guardian angels for the time of your little date with Ms. Loner." "I apricate the thought, I'm fine. Besides, that's not really a date. Rather a formal meeting, I'd say." "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure that's what she said too. You guys are surprisingly similar when it comes to those subjects." "We're not." I cut into Neptune's line. "Like if I just heard Noire…" She only grinned, signalizing that I accidently dug my own grave.

"Is there anything more you need from me? I'm quite in a hurry." "Mr. Secretary, please don't go yet!" When I was about to leave them, Nepgear beggingly grasped my hand. "Another as perfect opportunity to try out this set won't come. I know it! So, please, take them with you. I'll do anything. And I mean it." Anything? How desperate she was? If she were to tell that to a scum of a person, they would have drastically taken advantage of her childish naivete. "Pretty please…" And she did go that far. The ultimate weapon of any girl – tears. Seeing her on a verge of those my resolve began to weaken. "Fine! I'm in…" I eventually gave in. "Yes! I'll be counting on you Mr. Secretary! Thank you very much for contributing to science." Good for you Nepgear, I added in thoughts. Even though I was still quite reluctant about it, witnessing the state of happiness she entered was most likely worth it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8. Date–a–Noire – part 2.**

" _Bzzt… Bzzt… Basilicom to Secretary! Do you copy?_ " " _Neptune,_ _please. You don't have be so loud. He should hear you clearly._ " "Yes, yes…" I whispered, trying not to move my lips too much. There weren't many people around, however, I didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention by seemingly talking to myself. It was never perceived as a good sign.

What concerned me the most was why did I come 10 minutes before the time alone. Since we were currently living under the same roof, wouldn't it make more sense to leave together? Well, whatever. I knew legends about how long women could prepare themselves for outings, so I wouldn't be surprised if Noire was still putting on make-up or something like that.

Ratatoskr… I wasn't really familiar with prestigious places, but I was certain that by standards of my world it could be even a 5 star one. Normally someone of my caliber, who grew up in an averagely rich family, wouldn't have enough money to eat there, however, here, in Gamindustri everything changed. Who knew, maybe one day I would even start frequenting such locals? Laughing at this idea, I decided to do a small reconnaissance.

" _It looks like in TV. I wish I could go too…_ " " _Yup. I bet it's full of boring snobs. If you behave nicely, I'll take you somewhere more fun when we're back home._ " " _For real? I'm looking forward to that. Can we take Mr. Secretary along?_ " " _If he wants to, I don't mind. More the merrier as a wise man said. So, what's gonna be, big guy? You in?"_ "I'll think about it." " _Okeydokey. No rush. We still have one more pitstop before Planeptune anyway._ " "Can't talk any longer. She's here." " _Alright, good luck. We will do our best as well._ "

"Were you talking to somebody?" Before I realized, she was already close to me. "Nope. Lady Noire, you look even more beautiful than every day." And I didn't tell her that just from courtesy. Her appearance in this white dress was absolutely godly. Also, unlike the usual twin tails, her hair was now set loose. "Thank you. Oh, and you can drop the lady part today. Let's say we're here incognito. C'mon. We should already go inside." "Yeah. Sure." As we entered, I heard a praise through my earpiece. " _Nice job, Secretary. First flag is set._ "

"Good evening. How can I help you?" Elegantly dressed man welcomed us from behind the counter. "We have a reservation for 6pm." Noire replied. "May I ask the name?" "Runcorn." I hadn't been expecting to hear it, but I kind of could understand why. Knowledge how the CPU of Lastation looked like in human form seemed to be quite uncommon, so thanks to that she could easily blend into society without being constantly greeted. Besides, it was probably faster too, since as far as I was aware, she didn't have any surname. "Understood. Please, hang on a second…" His long blonde hair swooped over the paper as he scanned the book laying on the desk to double-check. "A table for two, is that correct? Then, please allow me to escort you to the table. A waiter shall take your order once you are prepared."

Interior of the restaurant was even more impressive than the view from the street. Everything, starting from potted plants and carpets to chairs and tables looked ridiculously luxurious. I was a bit of taken aback by it and had to force myself to stop gawking around too much. Honestly, it turned out to be rather challenging.

Luckily or not, number of other guests wasn't especially high. Besides a group of businessmen who must have been discussing their latest big contract, there were only a few other couples. Even though they didn't pay any attention to us, for strange reason I felt like if I was being watched. Though I must have been imagining it, just in case, I averted my gaze to the white piano standing on the stage. Pondering whether a performance would be held during our visit, we finally arrived to our destination.

"Is there anything wrong Michael?" Noire peered out of the menu with concern in her eyes. "Not really." Because of the fact our seats were kind of separated from the main hall by vine covered wall, we couldn't have been seen from the other side. "Have you picked what you want to eat?" "Sorry, not yet. I'm not really familiar with cuisine of this continent and stuff…" I nervously scratched my head, hoping that Nepgear and Neptune would understand my signal. "Geez, you should've said it sooner. I forgot you were a foreigner. Speaking of which, you have just used a phrase like if you were from far away." "Well it's kinda true. I was born in a land called United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." "Never heard of it. Where is it?" "It's an island behind the ocean. To the west from here." I knew this lie could be effortlessly verified, but it was still the safest answer. "So, I assume you traveled by a ship. How long was the journey?" "Umm… It's complicated." I replied, trying to fake a hint that I didn't want to talk about it from a personal reason. Noire must have bought that and apologized. In the meantime, I received all the info I required, so we could proceed with, as Neptune had called it, the next event.

After a surprisingly young blue-haired waiter departed to the kitchen with our order, an uncomfortable silence began. Frankly, no good subjects seemed to come into my head. Since we had already discussed me, I probably should show interest in her person now, or something like that. "Do you often visit such places?" I asked though it felt a bit awkward. "Nope. Only if duties oblige me to. Everyone wants to invite the CPU for openings and other important events, so to keep the faith in me going I have to show up in public from time to time." "I see. It's must be hard. Being so popular, that is." "Well, no matter if I like it or not, I can't disappoint my people. I constantly have to work for their sakes." "I think I may understand it. Even only as a secretary I've a workload on my own. In Planeptune there are three of us and we're still running behind the schedule. Honestly, I find it incredible you can handle it all on your own." "Nonsense. As I said, I'm just doing my job. That's all." "Nonetheless, it's a remarkable one. I might belong to your competition, but for me you're a model goddess, Noire." "Flattery won't get you anywhere." She averted her head with slightly flushed cheeks. At that moment, the waiter returned to us with a cart full of dishes.

Throughout the course of our meal, we slowly conversed over various, mostly related to our countries topics. We both agreed that despite the fact they differed so greatly, there were also similarities. As expected from a proper goddess, Noire turned out to be very intelligent. Her knowledge about technology was extraordinary, greatly suppressing mine. And I thought I was the smart one, sob, sob…

For the nearly whole evening, my carefully covered earpiece remained silent. Sporadically, Neptune would attempt to trick me into saying something silly by giving me three options like in a dating sim, but she quickly gave up since I wasn't falling into her traps. Honestly, I took it as a good sign. At first, I felt truly anxious about it but as the time passed I started to be more relaxed, wishing that Noire's experience was at least more or less identical.

No matter how pleasant something could be, it had to eventually end. When we finished consuming the food, Noire paid the bills and we headed back to the Basilicom, this time together.

I should have checked the clock before leaving, I regretted as we were walking through an empty park without any haste. I wouldn't say I was concerned by an hour, but since it already got dark, I was simply curious how long we were inside of Ratatoskr. "Huh? What is it?" I suddenly noticed something in my so far thought to be empty pocket. "What's the matter?" "I just found a business card in my suit and don't remember picking any up." "Maybe company you got the suit from shoved it in as an advertisement. What does it say?" " _Smith &Co._ No other description, just a phone number." "Looks shady. You better throw it out. Even the number seems off." "You're probably right. I'll do that later." I couldn't see any trash bins close by, so for now, I placed it back where it was discovered.

"I have to admit; the restaurant was great." I changed the subject. "Of course, it was. According to many critiques, Ratatoskr is one of the best in Lastation. Who knows, maybe even in whole Gamindustri." "Wow. That's something. And it was so pricey. I feel bad for having you pay for me too." "It's okay. I told you, it's my treat." "If you insist. By the way, that restaurant could be excellent, but I recently ate even somewhere better." "Where?" Noire asked curiously. "In Lastation Basilicom. A certain goddess beat the entire competition fair and square." "Michael, you…" I laughed pretending not to notice her reaction. It seemed that Noire was weak to compliments, so I guessed I should dose them in acceptable portions or she wouldn't know how to take them. "I'm sure you had better than that. At your home for instance." She pushed the praise away. "At home?" "Yes. People usually claim their mother's cooking is the best, don't they?" "My mother's…" I nostalgically sighed. "I wish I could remember. She died when I was five…" "I'm sorry. I shouldn't …" "It's okay. You couldn't have known. Besides, it's been already 14 years, so I got over with it long time ago. Anyway, I had never told you I also have a sister." "You do? Younger or older?" "Younger. By four years. Her name is Claire." "That's really nice name. How is she doing?" "She stayed back home with father. They didn't come to Gamindustri with me." "Ah, that's a shame. Are you guys in contact?" "Sadly, it's impossible…" I lowered my sight on the pavement. Though I hadn't paid any attention to that before, I wished to know what was happening in my world. I wondered how my family reacted to this sudden disappearance. If only there was a way to inform them I was doing fine... I must have looked deeply depressed about that since Noire suggested out of a consideration. "Michael? Can we sit down for a moment?"

And so, we did sit on a closest bench. At that moment it got to me that there wasn't anyone else than us out. How strange, I thought. This place wasn't far away from the city center and the Basilicom, so I wouldn't have been shocked if it was a common meeting point even during nighttime. Yet, it seemed that I was wrong… "A beautiful night, isn't it?" Noire raised her head up. There was a full moon and no clouds on the sky. "Indeed…" After that short exchange we remained silent for a while. The atmosphere between us seemed unnatural, nearly like if both of us wanted to escape, but I was doing my best to calm down. It was highly irrational to be so stiff. We already knew each other long enough, even had an adventure together, however, I still couldn't understand what I was feeling at this moment. How lucky bastard I was to be acquainted with two goddesses – most important beings in their countries that fast? There were countless masses who had never seen them outside their TVs, so why I was the one being treated so special? No, that wasn't true. There wasn't anything special about my relations with Neptune and Noire. Both of them were perfectly normal. Given the circumstances, too normal, I dared to say. I didn't realize how it happened, but it was like if we naturally became… "Friends…"

I accidently said it aloud. "Huh?" Noire switched her attention to me. Even though my voice wasn't loud, she must have heard it clearly because of the overwhelming silence around. Now it was too late, so I had to look for a way to save myself from this mistake. "Noire, there's something I would like to tell you." Didn't I sound too creepy? Usually such line would work as an intro to a love confession. And in addition to that, a rather boringly cliché one. "I know I might be pushing my luck too far by stepping on some invisible boundary, but I decided I want you to know my feelings." Crap. In my head it didn't sound as terribly. Considering the look I saw on Noire's face, I had to be sinking faster than the Titanic. "Reprimand or even hate me afterwards, just know that I don't see you just as a CPU. For me it's Noire as a person, not CPU Black Heart who is more important. That's why I'm going to become strong enough for you to count on me in any situation. I promise." "Michael…" Was I imagining it or was she somehow touched by my words? "Noire, I want to be your…" However, I wasn't allowed to end the sentence. Suddenly, a sharp sensation of pain hammered me down to the ground.

Before I could recover, both of my arms had been seized and twisted behind my back. I was forcefully raised to a standing position. "Fancy meeting you here, asshole." Our attackers turned out to be those three guys from the first day. Their leader held Noire from behind, keeping a short pocket knife at her throat. Bloodthirst was apparent in his stare and nearly comically contrasted with covering his nose bandages. "Rich kids, huh? Boys we'll not only have some fun tonight but get some bonus cash for that." His two gorillas dumbly chortled. "And who the heck are you again?" I played dumb. "Don't even fuck with me! I'm your biggest nightmare…" "Ah, now I remember you. You are Nameless Troublemakers A, B and C. How could have I forgot about someone as retarded as your trio? Nice to meet you again." His face was getting redder and redder of anger as I continued to mock them. "Give that fucker and solid punch, wouldya?" The leader ordered with pure hatred and the underling on my right was about to fulfill it. Though he didn't expect that I would fight back.

Using this temporal break in his defenses, I casted a spell called Burning Fist. As the name suggested, this simple magic allowed me to create a fiery aura around my hand. I grasped his clothes, which immediately caught fire. Sensing that, he instinctively freed my arm to put it down, letting me to deliver a rapid punch into his friend's forehead. "Aaaagh! My eyes! My eyes!" Blinded by the heat wave, he wiggled in panic. "Stay down." I made him fall down by kicking backs of his knees with full strength. "Both of you." Nearly simultaneously burrowing my elbow in the other guy's throat.

"What?!" He let out a shocked screech. "You might have some tricks, but remember I have this!" The only remaining foe quickly recovered and emphasized on the blade caressing Noire's skin. He knew that his only groaning and choking companions were no longer able to fight, so he became desperate. I, on the other hand, remained completely calm, which threw him even more off balance. "I'm gonna kill her, I swear!" "Good luck on that!" I was ready to switch styles and use Air Cut to cut off his wrist, when Noire raised her tone. "That's enough." And she vanished in a pillar of light.

"A C-C-CPU?" Not so long ago, Troublemaker A was acting tough and mighty, but now, he frantically crawled back. "We're sorry! We didn't know! I promise we won't do anything bad anymore! We beg of you!" The difference in his behavior was straight ridiculous and only if they didn't have attempted robbery, rape and murder a second ago I would definitely pity that fool. However, some things couldn't be that easily forgiven. "And what if she didn't turn out to be a goddess?" I pressed my heel against his chest. "How can we be sure of this sudden transformation, huh?" I had never said anything with so much malice in my life before. Being aware of it filled me with worry. It was like if I did change on this very moment. Or was I always this way, even though I wasn't aware of it until now? A part of me wished to see him dead, by my hand. It genuinely terrified me. Fortunately, that voice was too weak to make me finish it and eventually it quieted itself down. "Michael, you can already leave him alone. The three of them are under arrest." "…" Hearing that other people were getting closer I reluctantly stepped away. Someone must have alarmed the police because of all of the noise we made in this short period of time.

"Such attack on a CPU is enough to spend the rest of life in prison, so I guess since they couldn't have known, I should give that last chance …" She said more to herself than me. "But in your case, it can't be justified anyhow. For today's incident they will stay in a cell just for a couple of days up to two weeks. Although, if you were to report the previous incident as well…" "Then what?" "Then their sentence would raise to even five years. You were badly hurt." "What do you want me to do?" "I can't possibly tell you that. It's your decision. If mere thugs go to jail they can become real criminals. I'm leaving the call to you." I looked once again on those three misfits. Naturally, Noire made a solid argument. A longer stay in such facility could have an enormous impact on their entire lives. Practically, they would be dealing with consequences of this mistake till the end. So, what if they weren't completely wicked? What if I were to take their lives from them? Whom was I to decide one's fate only on a basis of two unfortunate encounters? On the other hand, if there was a crime, it required a punishment. Letting them off the hook tonight could be even more fatal. Fear of the law was stopping many petty criminals, so what would they do if there were no consequences at all? Not to mention, I remembered the pain of the wound which hadn't fully healed yet. And the picture of a knife at Noire's throat. Their laughter while talking about 'having fun'. Sending them off to prison could be my revenge. But would it be worth it?

"I'll wait for you in the Basilicom." I decided and turned my back to her. "Michael, what about…?" "About what? I don't know what you are talking about." I made my choice, so there was nothing else for me to do here. Unlike her, I didn't have to stay and supervise the arrest. More to that, I felt remaining on the spot would cause a change of mind. "Michael!" Ignoring her, I kept on going forward. I had to cool off and deal with it on my own. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to understand my own feelings.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9. Farewell, Lastation!**

"Still no sight of them?" Me and Nepgear were waiting in front of a building from which we were about to depart to Lowee. Neptune had already gone inside to take care of paper work, so once Uni and Noire joined us, we would be able to quickly proceed with the journey. "I'm afraid not. I hope they are okay." "Don't worry, they are. They have some time anyway." "It'd be a shame if they couldn't come because of being late…" Yeah, it would, for more than one reason.

"Wassup?" Neptune had suddenly stormed out and looked down at us from the highest stair with hands on her hips. "All set?" "Yup. Passage for six will be ready soon." "Six? Are you sure about that?" She could count, couldn't she? The three of us, Noire and her sister summed into the total of 5 people. "Never doubt me, Secretary. I always know what's the best. Anyway, there's she. Our special guest. Tada."

"Greetings, Neptune, Nepgear and you, Apprentice." A slightly delusional mad magician took off her hat for us with a gentle bow. "Oh, hi MAGES. You're going to Lowee too?" Completely ignoring Nepgear's hello, she answered me instead. "That's correct. The Organization is pinpointing my hideout, so for the sake of the entire humanity I shall take my leave before it's too late." I wondered what the real reason was. Knowing MAGES. and her habits, she could have gotten into some serious trouble. "Okay, I guess… That bag of yours looks rather heavy. I can hold on to it for you if you want." "It's fine, Apprentice. Don't think badly of me, however, this bag contains such dangerous items that I cannot risk giving to you. I shall carry this burden on my own." "As you wish..."

And so, we waited for five minutes, which quickly became ten and those two were still nowhere to be found. "Neptune, maybe we should look for them? I mean if they are so much late there had to be a reason and…" Nepgear fidgeted her fingers. "Nah, they are already big girls. If something was indeed to happen, they can take care of that business. Oh, by the way, I nearly forgot to tell ya what Secretary did last night! Dude, that was crazy!"

"What do you mean?" MAGES. demanded more details. "He totally wall slammed Noire! A scene like from a manga, I tell ya!" I couldn't help but to feel embarrassed. Yesterday I stayed up until Noire returned home and in order to invite her for today's trip, I ambushed her in the corridor. I didn't understand what drove me to that and of course, everyone had to see it which effects could be now heard. "Neptune, please don't spread it around…" I sighed. If by her careless yapping someone else was to overhear it, they would have greatly misunderstood my character. "I'm not spreading anything. I'm only informing our mutual friend about your achievements. Look, she wants to hear, right MAGES.?" Yes, indeed, mad magician confirmed. "Just kindly drop the subject, please?"

Another five minutes later. "Just how much are we waiting already? Geez, Noire, when did you get so unpunctual?" It wasn't a big surprise Neptune got quickly bored of standing in one spot. "I'm sorry. If I told them earlier, they wouldn't have to prepare on the last second." "It's not your fault, Mr. Secretary. We shouldn't have left everything on your shoulders." "I already forgot why we gave you this task in the first place, so I guess it's okay." "There's no need to blame yourself for other people's failures, Apprentice. Follow your own path, stomping on skulls of your enemies." Even MAGES. who had a vague idea of what was going on was cheering me up in her own unique fashion. Receiving so much support felt good. Knowing that everyone had my back was really reassuring.

"Guys, I just remembered something. We were supposed to meet with _her_ like few minutes ago." I accidently noticed what hour it already was. The CPU of Lowee – Blanc was to pick us up after arrival. "Snap! Blanc's gonna get mad! We can throw Noire as a bait and run away!" "We can't do such thing, big sister!" "Can't you just give her a phone call?" "No can do. She never takes her mobile out while in town." Damn, that wasn't good news. It wasn't polite to keep someone waiting for who-knows how long without giving a notice whether you would arrive or not. "Is it possible to break our party into pieces? I can go ahead and find her." I proposed. "I think it could work, but Secretary, have you ever traveled by a teleporter?" "…Nope." "It's not that hard. I'm sure he will be okay." "Well, I don't doubt that kiddo, though for the first time it's probably better to have someone with you. Sadly, I can't." But I can, Nepgear volunteered, however, her weak voice had been muffled by someone with more confidence. "I shall take the responsibility of my Apprentice's first time." MAGES. stepped up and gave me a slight pat on the shoulder. "Cool beans. Then let's go inside to see what we can do about that!"

Obviously, the teleporter crew didn't have any objections. I was certain that if we weren't together with CPUs, they wouldn't be so laidback, although I could have been terribly misjudging this place. These people working here seemed rather kind. Anyway, with talking done, me and MAGES. headed towards the central room of the facility.

Unlike what I anticipated, this teleport looked quite outdated. There weren't any rays or beams, or any other features I had seen in sci-fi movies and games. This one was just a simple gate (by all means not a stone one); however, it seemed that it wasn't fully charged yet. According to placed on both sides of the entrance bars, it was powered 90/100, so when the heavy shutter closed behind our backs, we still had to wait a bit.

"Are you nervous?" MAGES. questioned me. "A little. I haven't done anything like that before, so it's probably only natural." Even though I heard accounts from different users of this mean of travel, I couldn't help but to feel insecure... I already learnt some magic myself, therefore, I shouldn't be such a whiner. There wouldn't be any troubles. There wouldn't… "Worry not, Apprentice. This device won't malfunction anyhow." Like if she could read my mind, MAGES. got closer to comfort me. "The passage is normally too narrow for both of us to pass through at once. The Stone Fate Door had decided we are to do it this way." Due to this unexpected closeness I noticed that she was trembling. "And are _you_ nervous?" "Don't be ridiculous, Apprentice. For such experienced mage as myself it's nothing…" On the contrary to her statement, she tightened her grip on my arm. If someone as reserved as MAGES. began to act this way, I could see something was up, but since she didn't want to speak about it, I didn't pry.

"It's lit." "Certainly, but beforehand, my instincts of mad magician are hinting that Lowee shall bring only misfortune and despair for you, my Apprentice. If you value your life, that's the last opportunity to take a step back." "Well, whatever. Let's get going." I dismissed her ominous predictions. MAGES. liked to spat a lot of random cryptic nonsense, so I was sure it was yet another case. "But…?!" "If anything comes at me, we will deal with, together. Right? As long as I will have you at my side there's nothing to fear. Come with me, okay?" In spite of already having a few heavy bags, I grasped her hand and pulled towards the teleporter. When we were walking through it, I noticed that corners of her lips slightly rose, forming a rarely sighed on her always serious face genuine smile.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10. Hot spring murder case – part 1.**

Once my senses returned, an unfamiliar white ceiling appeared in front of my eyes. Where am I, I lifelessly muttered. It felt like if a freaking bulldozer ran through me. Even the slightest movement was filling me with unbearable amounts of suffering, but nonetheless, I had to find out what was going on.

Somehow, I managed to drop from the surface I was laying on. Immediately, my legs gave in and only if it wasn't for a metal wall, I would have fallen. Supporting myself in such manner, I pried the nearby door open. An icy breeze made me shiver. My head was still spinning a little, however, I had to step out. I knew if I didn't, something terrible would happen and I couldn't let it. With this premonition, I raised myself from the crawl and began to walk more and more steadily towards the filling the entire area source of noise.

"And we're here." It barely took two seconds to travel from Lastation to Lowee. The technology of teleports sure was astonishing. Considering that according to maps, the journey would last at least two days, it was a great save of time and energy. "Indeed." MAGES. loosened her grip, letting out a tiny sigh of relieve.

We arrived to a matching to that in Lastation room. Only difference between them were colors. In this one, white – the color of CPU White Heart was without a question dominant. At that moment the door opened, allowing us to pass outside.

"Good morning. Thank you for using services of Lowee Fast Travel Center. Could you state your reason of visit, please?" With a hardly noticeable bow, a woman around her 40s glanced on us from behind her glasses. It seemed that no details about of our travel were passed here. Well, it wasn't exactly a bother, since I could just show my… Before I got a chance to seek the object I had in mind, MAGES. had taken the initiative.

"Ekhem…" She cleared her throat and blurted out in a rather unexpected accent. "I am mad magician. Lowee. Chaos and invade."

Ice Age must have returned as everyone present literally froze in their places. What the hell was that idiot thinking? "Mad magician? Hah…" Although the lady clearly didn't take it as a joke, MAGES. got the wrong impression. "That is. Ahahaha." She laughed manically, however, not for long. It didn't take a single minute before she had been handcuffed and escorted away by security.

"Will you come with us peacefully, or do you plan to make troubles too, son?" The third officer placed his hand on my shoulder. "I think I will pass." "Oh, I see. I'm sorry, Mr. Runcorn." After flashing my so-called 'badge of office' (something like sheriff's star but with Planeptune crest and my name on it) to him, the treatment instantly changed. "Shall I bring your companion back?" "Nah. Maybe if you give her a bit of scare, she won't think about doing stuff like that anymore." I doubted it was possible, though. The man once again apologized and was about to return to his post when I stopped him. "We were supposed to meet up with Lady Blanc. Do you perhaps know where I can find her now?" "Lady Blanc? Ah, now I think about that, she's just been here." "And where did she go?" "I'm sorry, but I don't know. She left the building. It was probably less than five minutes ago, so she might be still around. If not, then you should head to the Basilicom." After thanking him for the information, I left the building.

Lowee was famous for being a land of everlasting winter. The temperature rarely rose over 0 Celsius degree and snow was constantly covering the ground. This image perfectly matched with the scenery I had witnessed on the street. Slowly pushing forward through the white layer people were coming and going in their directions. If the traffic wasn't as low as it currently was, I would have probably thought about Christmas. The atmosphere of this area somehow reminded me of that during the end of a year in my hometown. Feeling a bit of nostalgic, I put my hood on to cover my head from cold.

I had a really vague idea of whom I was searching for. Practically, all I had on her was her name and her voice, overheard from Neptune's conversation with her. Also, according to the rumor I was told, Blanc had a giant complex in terms of size of her body. Assuming it was due to the fact her physique wasn't fully developed, I guessed that I should have been looking for someone built similarly to Neptune. Certainly, it could be as well a false lead, although, it was still better than nothing.

While roaming around I spotted something which successfully distracted my attention from the main objective. Around the corner of a shop I noticed three suspiciously moving figures pushing a small child into a shady back alley.

I silently followed them. Because of the snow sneaking was even harder than usually, so I had to stick close to the wall side, where there was less of it. "C'mon, lent us a bit of cash, kid. We are hungry." "I don't wanna. I have nothing for bullies!" Even though she was being cornered by three much older boys, the girl in a pink overcoat didn't falter. "You don't want to help out your friends, do you?" "You're not my friends. I don't know you and if you don't leave me alone I'll kick your asses!" She proclaimed to their content. "Hah, and we were trying to be nice to you brat." I was done with watching. Time to play hero once again.

"Can't troublemakers just move on their own or do they always have to be trios?" My appearance caused a small disruption. "Leave her alone or I will carry you off to the closest police station." I hoped they would cooperate. Getting into a fight with some teenagers right on the first visit in this nation would surely leave a bad aftertaste on my overall experience. Seeing them mumble under their noses I thought that would be a case, however, it was foolish of me to have such high expectations. One of them came closer to me.

Of course, since I had forgotten I wasn't that much older, my presence didn't have enough aura of respectable adult to convince them to peacefully listen. "Make us." He confidently smirked behind his scarf and with a speed which wasn't giving me any chance to block, he aimed for my stomach. Well, at least that was what he thought.

Before it could land, I headbutted him and with a consequential kick, sent him flying into the wall. "If you want to pick up fights, then learn how to properly do it." I sighed to the defeated. Even though I went easy on him, he was still very lucky to end up with just some bruises. I didn't mean to hurt civilians more than necessary, so the whole ordeal wouldn't result in any long-term damage. "You wish to join your friend or do you know the way back home?" I pierced the remaining two with my gaze. It didn't seem they had much fighting spirit in them left after witnessing this display. That made it easier for both parties. Soon after, they were already gone, carrying their mate for a treatment. I wished I could see their faces when they would realize I had completely healed his wounds while they weren't looking.

"Are you okay?" I placed the pink hat back on the top of girl's brown hair. "Yup. I'm not that weak, you know? I would punch those bullies so hard even if you didn't show up, mister." "Yeah, sorry for stealing spotlight. Are you here alone?" "No. My twin and older sister are waiting for me. Her friends were late, so I asked to go and buy some sweets for everyone." "Okay, I see. I don't think those guys will come back, but why don't we join forces for a while? I'm looking for someone as well and while I escort you to your family, you can help me out if you want." "Ha, mister is older and can't find his friends. I guess I can show you around because you were kinda cool."

And so, we left the alley. Somehow, I felt that we may have been searching for the same person, but there were few things not adding up. So far, both of goddesses I met had only one sibling, thereby, the presence of a twin could mean my gut feeling wasn't correct in this case. On the other hand, even though I was never told anything about Blanc's family, a possibility she had two sisters existed. Not to mention the unusual for the age confidence of this child. She could have been just bluffing, childishly praying to scare attackers away, but it could also be because she was indeed a CPU Candidate. Since she was willing to go together for the time being, no harm could possibly come out from this agreement.

"Hey, mister, whom do look for?" The girl suddenly asked. "Someone I have business with. I was sent here from work." As I wasn't sure she would provide a reliable info yet, I avoided directly telling her the CPU was my target. Of course, I could have been mistaken with my judgment from the vilest and the wickedest of any reasons - plot. No matter how retarded some actions could appear to the reader, they may have been working as a filler when the writer was running out of ideas, or a device to disorient attention when logic of the story is flawed. "Ah… Adults must be busy. They can't play much." "You're probably right. Though I'm lucky to have a really fun job." "Oh, really?" "Yeah. It's tiring and at the times dangerous, but I still enjoy it." "My sister always says you have to like what you do, or something like that…" "Agreed. Being negative never helps. Your sister is smart, isn't she?" "Yup. She is. She works hard too and she still finds time to play with us." "Good for you. So, do you see them yet?" "Nope. I'm sure I left them here. Maybe they went to a shop too?" She looked at me with a slight confusion. "I don't mind staying with you until they come back." "I'd be fine on my own but thank you. Oh, mister, look over there!"

She pointed at a small confectionery alongside the street. "We didn't find who you wanted, but I did my best, so you should give me a prize. Can you?" Demanding one, huh? Because of her energic demeanor she reminded me of my own sister, back from when she was younger. "Why not? I could eat something sweet too. Though I don't have much money on me, so we won't buy much." "Yay. Let's go then!"

"Good morning Ram. How can I help you today?" Apparently, the girl must have been a regular customer here since the old shop assistant greeted her by a name. "I'll see. He says he's flat broke, so I'll have to ask." "Oh, did your sister's friend brought you today?" "No, he helped me with bullies and we're looking for someone from his work now." I nodded as to confirm her words. "Is that true? Many people would pretend not to notice when there's someone in need nowadays." "Unfortunately. So, what would you like?" I turned my head to Ram. "Ummm… This cake seems yummy. Is it okay?" "This one with red jelly?" "Uh huh." "Then I guess we will have two slices, please."

After making the payment we went out and sat down on a cleaned from the snow bench. I should have asked for two separate bags for the cake… Eh, I guessed I had to get my hands dirty. I took out one of slices and stuffed it inside of my mouth. Indeed, it was delicious and thanks to its rather solid shape, I wouldn't make much mess while eating. "Here, the one with paper is for you, Ram." She grabbed the package happily smiling. "Thanks, mister! It's really good. When Rom and Blanc come back I'll even give them a bite." Did she just say Blanc? Maybe I shouldn't be so fast to jump into conclusions. It could be only a coincidence that her sister shared the name with the CPU. I was about to ask for more detail about her elder sibling when I heard a loud yell coming from a rather close distance. " **GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER, BASTARD!** " And that was the last thing I remembered as my consciousness immediately faded away.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11. Hot spring murder case– part 2.**

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a closed room. I could tell as much because of how much warmer it was comparing to the outside. My entire body was aching. I pushed my memory to recollect what happened. Was I attacked? It seemed like it. I remembered noticing a large hammer swung at me, although how could I have seen it? Taking into account which areas pained me the most, I must have been ambushed from behind.

My senses were still dull, but they were slowly sharpening. Fighting with the dizziness I tried to get up. Somehow, my arms were heavier than supposed to be as several different cables were connected to them. IV, heartbeat monitor and some other one I couldn't name. "Hello?" I called out, however, no doctors, paramedics or nurses replied. I was alone in this ambulance. For some reason I was sure that no matter how long I would have waited, no one was going to appear, so I carefully pulled out from stationary devices. Besides pain, it didn't seem like I had any other problems with health. Anyway, what should bother me more was why I was left in a place like this alone.

Did a cataclysm or something occur? My legs were still a bit stiff, so when I managed to get up from the bed I was laying on, I dropped on the floor. To refresh my circulation, I deeply inhaled and exhaled for a minute. It helped me to calm down and when I was done, blood had been already flowing correctly throughout all of my limbs. Using the wall as a support, I pried the door open.

A cold wind made me shiver. Some of my clothes including armor were missing, but what I wore was still sufficient to survive in this temperature. I felt like if I wasted time searching for my equipment I would deeply regret it, so I decided to push forward.

Further I went, the more my hearing adapted to the surrounding. At first it was like regulating an old TV, however, the ringing eventually faded, allowing me to distinguish voices. Although I couldn't exactly make up any of what they were saying, I took their direction as my next goal.

The area I was in seemed completely deserted. No passersby on the street, even all of the shops were closed. I had a feeling that apartments on both sides of the road were empty as well. Just where everyone went? Wasn't this town a capital? Where were all of those people I had encountered before now? Sliding over the bonnet of abandoned in the middle of the road car, I walked into an empty crossroad.

I stopped. No matter where my gaze landed, there was a nothing. I couldn't believe my own eyes. How long was I blacked out? What happened in the meantime? My hands were shaking and my head was filled with thousands of ridiculously sounding theories. Was it possible that I accidently jumped into another, parallel world again? It couldn't be it. If that was the case then I would be able to tell it. Those cars and buildings seemed to be in such state since recently. Therefore, only one conclusion could have been withdrawn – there was something going on in this very moment.

But what? If it was a preplanned event, I wouldn't have been forgotten like that. Neither would personal belongings. Citizens of this city ran away, so it had to be a kind of an emergency. Maybe I should look for a shelter too? As I didn't know the town's layout, I would end up aimlessly wandering around. And even if I really found something, it wasn't granted it would protect me. In the end, I didn't understand the situation. Suddenly, the ground in front of me erupted, interrupting my internal debate.

A freaking meteorite?! When I recovered from the shockwave I tried to see through the flying debris. Alarms rung in a couple of nearby cars, making so much of irritating noise I found it problematic to focus. If the stars were falling down from the sky, then I was seriously fucked. Not many things would protect me from such destructive force. If I were to remain on the move, there was a chance I would eventually get hit. And if I were to stay on the spot… Nothing would change anyway.

During the time of my indecisive struggle, that 'meteorite' shot back from where it came from.

What. The. _**Hell**_?! I was completely dazzled. All I could do was to blankly stare up, where three unaware of my presence figures floated.

"Surrender. You can't beat both of us alone." I instantly recognized the black and the purple ones. They were Neptune and Noire in their goddess forms. Both of them wielded their weapons, cornering their enemy with circular maneuvers. "I can't. I will protect my nation from barbarians like you!" Despite being obviously at her limits, the resolve of the third person didn't diminish. Without a doubt, it had to be the CPU White Heart. Comparing to others, her silhouette looked nearly childish, which could be seen in her simple white one-piece armor suit. Nonetheless, her weapon was a larger than her entire body hammer. Yet somehow, she still could effortlessly fight with it.

"You are the innocent one, huh? Arresting one of our friends and attacking my secretary. If he dies, I'll never forgive you!" Neptune charged in and Noire simultaneously conducted a similar attack from the opposite side. "I'm freaking trying to tell you idiots that it was a…" White Heart blocked both strikes, but at the cost of losing balance. Even from this distance I could notice how ragged her breathing was. Soon, she would be defeated and then what? The fight seemed be serious enough to last until one of the parties dropped dead. I hated how powerless I was in this situation. I was too weak to cast any strong enough to catch their attention spells and since they were in the air, I had no other means of interrupting this one-sided showdown.

"You already lost, Blanc. It's the last second to beg for mercy." "Never!" "Then in the name of the Basilicom, I shall punish you." Coordination between Purple and Black Heart was incredible. It was like if they could understand each other without words. Not giving Blanc any opportunities to gain ground, they kept harassing her with impossible to follow for the human eye speed. So, was that an all-out duel between CPUs? Their power was truly astounding, however, none of them seemed to be wary of how much of destruction it brought to the area. It was a disaster. More to that, it was caused by those who vowed to protect lands and people of Gamindustri. They apparently forgot about their duties and results of it were terrifying. I was afraid of thinking how many innocent civilians were harmed because of their squabble. There even could have been casualties. Goddesses, whose blessings many people seek shouldn't act this way. No. They didn't behave like that. I refused to accept the harsh reality in front of my eyes. Those had to be imposters. There was no way someone as cheerful as Neptune could have so much bloodthirst. Neither the real Noire would have gone against one of her friends. Even though it was unlikely they would hear me, I wanted to give them a piece of my mind about it. I hated how I was forced to be a helpless witness of this tragic in consequences spectacle. If only I was stronger… It was all my fault. I should have been the one to knock some sense into their heads, but I was too weak…

And then, the goddess of Lowee had fallen again, nearly to the same crater she was previously bashed into.

It seemed it was truly the end. No longer she could grasp her weapon as it bounced a few meters away. "As I said, you were to lose no matter what." Noire lowered herself to the ground, pressing her blade against Blanc's throat. "You failed as the CPU. Maybe your sisters will learn from your lesson." I saw her raising the sword in slow-motion. "We will protect them until they come of age. I can give you at least that much." And it swung down… "What?!"

"I… Won't let you kill her…" Out of ideas, I had done something desperate – I shielded CPU White Heart with my own body by grasping the sharp edge before it could sink into her flesh. Although, if Noire didn't react as fast as she did, this rush act of foolishness would effect in the best case in a loss of a few of my fingers. "M-Michael? Why are you here?" Even though the impact wasn't as powerful as it was meant to be in the first place, my palms were considerably deeply cut. If I left such wounds untreated for a longer period of time, I would eventually bleed out to death. Of course, a possibility of infection hadn't been ruled out yet… "I'm preventing you from becoming murderers. Can't you see it? You were about to kill her because of a misunderstanding!" "How can you be sure of that?" "MAGES. got arrested for talking crazy at the teleport station. I could have taken her out of there but decided not to." Her sword slid, deepening my wounds. "Are you okay?" Though she didn't mean to do it, the damage had been dealt in more than one way.

Using this moment of separation, I picked up the hammer. Unlike its appearance could indicate, it was surprisingly light. "And she attacked me only because she thought I was doing something shady to her sister. Wouldn't you do the same to protect yours? Because I would." Noire's expression changed. I was aware of the fact what kind of blow was that. Human relationships, especially those among family members were counted as one of the strongest psychological weapons. "Secretary, don't overdo it. You are bleeding badly." As I watched Noire's inner struggle, Neptune made her way to my side. "It could be worse. Don't worry about it." I emotionlessly replied to her. "But… At least let me take a look. I can bandage it for you until we find a proper med kit." "You don't have to. I can patch up myself with magic soon." "I…" "JUST STOP DOTING ON HIM LIKE THAT!"

No one could have predicted this outburst. "HE'S A GROWN-UP MAN. DON'T RUN AROUND HIM LIKE IF HE WAS A CHILD!" "Noire? Wh…?" "SINCE HE APPEARED YOU ARE COMPLETELY IGNORING EVERYONE ELSE. DO YOU EVEN THINK HOW OTHERS FEEL ABOUT THAT?!" Neptune, who normally would laugh at her, saying it was a rare sight of an honest tsundere was speechless. And frankly, so was I. I didn't expect to be seen by her as a nuisance. More to that, I was sure the three of us were getting along well. A possibility that she thought I destroyed their previous relationship didn't even cross my mind. If I knew how she felt, I'd try to put more distance between us instead of acting so friendly. "…" When she stood like that, breathing heavily I wanted to escape from the scene. I had no arguments to retort, neither I knew how to talk to someone in such state. "AND YOU. IF YOU ARE SO SMART THEN TRY IMAGINING HOW WE DID FEEL WHEN WE LEARNED YOU WERE BEING TAKEN TO HOSPITAL IN CRITICAL CONDITION! WE WERE SCARED YOU MIGHT DIE!" But what part of it was my fault though? Suddenly, something in me shattered. In terms of logical reasoning I hadn't done anything wrong. I was the victim here, so if someone had the right to complain, it should be me. "Yeah! And that's why you demolished half of a fucking town, right?"

Even though the voice belonged to me, it was like another person spoke using my vocal cords. "You were so fucking afraid that you came up with such a sweet idea to murder everyone in sight, is that correct? Thank you. That's I always wished for." That uncontrollably bitter voice continued. "I don't need your pity or anything else from you. So, go to hell, Black Heart. Sorry for interrupting your conquer." SLAP.

Despite the fact much strength wasn't put into it, that slap hurt me as nothing had done it before. Why did I even…? My thoughts cleared out. I didn't feel this way… Then why? "Then, I shall go, secretary of Purple Heart." Noire announced in the coldest possible tone. "Secretary! How could you say something like that?! You know it's not true." To be honest, I could hardly understand Neptune's words. "I'm going after her! Blanc, can you take care of him for me, please?" Not waiting for the answer, she flew off in the direction Noire had left.

I didn't know how long it took, but some other force grasped the hammer I still had in my hands. "Asshole…" Extremely tattered White Heart looked at me with disgust and that was the last thing I saw before I lost consciousness yet another time.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12. Lohmes.**

It seemed that fainting and waking up in unknown surrounding had recently became my new habit. But at least this time the experience wasn't as painful. I was thankful for that much.

Apparently, somebody had taken care of my wounds as bandages were applied where it was necessary. However, the person who was responsible for it kind of overdid it since my hands had been nearly mummified. Anyway, in spite of having three layers too much, I shouldn't complain. In the end, they had most likely saved my life.

Feeling like if I had been newly born, I rose from the comfortable white pillow and began to stretch. I didn't know for how long I was bedridden, so I had to take things slowly. One step at the time, unless I wished for a contusion.

When I was done, I was about to get up from the bed, but then I noticed presence of another person nearby.

A young girl wearing a white apron on top of her red maid outfit was diligently cleaning the window. She was so focused on the task that she didn't even realize I was awake yet. From what I could hear she was humming some cheerful melody, though it didn't ring any bells to me. "Tu tur u. Ta ta ta." As she spun around to pick up a different cleaning utensil, her long sandy blonde hair charmingly moved under the white frilled headband. Maybe it was only because of me not being fully awake, but I found myself slightly mesmerized by this picture.

Having no clue what to do about it, I ended up watching her for a while. Having finished polishing the window, she sat down on the chair next to my bed and let out an audible gasp. "Hmm… What's an hour? Lady Blanc said I should check on him every two hours or so…" She muttered to herself and once again raised. "I've gotta do my best!" After checking the clock, the girl proudly puffed out and then our eyes met.

"Hello." Trying not be awkward enough, I greeted her with a hand wave. No response… Instead, she kept staring at me flushed. She must have been embarrassed by the fact I overheard her talking to herself. "Uwawawawah! Lady Blanc, Lady Blanc! He is awake!" And in such manner, she had dashed out of the room screaming.

I would have to apologize later on, I thought not moving from the spot. Assuming that she had gone to fetch Blanc, there was no point of me walking around. I'd only get lost since as from what I heard, Lowee Basilicom in which currently I must have been in, wasn't as simply constructed as its counterparts in other nations.

"Undeniably, he is awake…" My host entered the room. Her goddess form and the one she was in now didn't change much in terms of her appearance. Short brown hair and icy blue eyes were only distinguishable features, as her physique was nearly identical to that back then. However, in spite of being so petite, Blanc had something I would refer to as an aura of maturity and respect around her. "How is your health?" Slightly limping on her left leg, she made her way towards previously occupied by the maid chair. "I'm fine. Thanks. And you?" "Could be worse, I guess. I have to show my gratitude for your help." Saying that, she gently bowed. "I assume I have pleasure with currently employed as secretary at Planeptune Basilicom Mr. Michael Runcorn." "That's me. Though I somehow have a hunch it's already formerly employed." "That is not for us to judge. Anyway, I should have started by apologizing. So, please forgive me for unreasonably attacking you in the first place." This time she lowered her head even more. "I can't blame you. I guess I must work on my image if I'm that easily confused with a criminal." "It is all my fault. After that kidnapping incident I have been irrationally overprotective about my sisters… More importantly, that is no matter for jokes. The fact you are still alive is a miracle itself." "Is it?" I shrugged my shoulders pretending I wasn't bothered by that. In reality, I had to secretly wipe my sweaty palms into the bedsheet.

"Lady Blanc, we are in your Basilicom, right?" "Uhm hm, we are." As I randomly changed the subject she gave me a puzzled look. "I see… Good to know then." "What are you doing? You should not get up that fast…" Blanc could hardly grasp my intentions and to be honest, neither did I. Ever since the ambulance, I had a feeling there was something wrong with me. "Do you have any chalk?" "Huh? My sisters should have some. They use this room as a storage for their playthings, so let me check… Is pink okay?" The search didn't last long. "Yeah. The color shouldn't matter. Do you mind?" I knelt, signalizing that I planned to use it on the floor. Though she was still bewildered, Blanc gave me her approval.

"There's something I want to try. I'll explain on the way." Although it was a very vague statement, it was all I could let her on so far as I focused on reproducing a magic circle from the book I read. Even though I was confident in my memory, I couldn't help but to feel tense. If I messed up a single symbol, the spell could tragically backfire. That was how dangerous this branch of magic was. "Alright. It's done." Putting the rest of the chalk on the desk, I walked inside of the drawn by me ring. "Lady Blanc, can I ask you for cooperation?" "What do you need me to do?" "Just place your hand in that square and don't take it off no matter what until I say so, please." "Left, or right?" "At your convenience, though the dominant one is believed to work better." Blanc did as I inquired and the pattern lit.

"What now?" "We will see whether I'm right or not." I smirked, although nothing out of ordinary occurred yet. Strange… I was certain that had to be the case... All pieces would match, however, such outcome seemed to be too convenient. I was ready to abort the mission when a voice came out from somewhere inside of my body.

" _What is it? I can't think straight! Stop it, stop it!_ " "Don't pull out!" I quickly reminded the goddess. "Alright, I've got you now. Who are you and why are you trying to possess me?" "Possess?" Fortunately, on the last magic lesson with MAGES. we went through theory of ghosts and other apparitions, so the knowledge was still more or less fresh in my mind. Such boosted recovery and losing control over own actions could be considered as signs of a spiritual presence interfering in a living body. " _You figured out?_ " The voice freaked out. "I'm the one asking questions. If you don't answer I'll purge you." " _You will do that anyway!_ " "Don't make me repeat myself…" " _AARGH! My name is Sherlieta Lohmes! At your service!_ " That was a feminine name, wasn't it? If it wasn't for that, I would probably think of her as a guy because of this deep distorted voice. " _He didn't recognize me… Sob, sob…_ " Sherlieta pouted, perhaps forgetting we could hear her. "How the hell I could know you?" I kind of stupidly blurted out. "Sherlieta Lohmes was one of the most famous detectives of Gamindustri. Two years ago, she had vanished after a confrontation with her archnemesis and it seems she had died during that period. That is a common knowledge." Blanc calmly revealed the backstory. Then it wasn't a wonder I hadn't heard about any Lohmes before… " _Aw, are you perhaps one of my fans? Nice to meet you._ " Sherlieta replied in an exaggeratedly cutely tone, but the response was short, blunt and far from her expectations. "Nope."

" _Sob, sob… I'm worthless… No one needs me anymore… Sob, sob…_ " Did that ghost seriously had to make those theatrical crying noises? "I think she had broken. Let's exorcise her already." " _NO! Don't do that, please! You are a nice guy, aren't you? Don't listen to this savage little girl!_ " " **Little girl?** "

That moment would definitely make it to my personal top ten plot twists, if I were to create such list. Blanc didn't even have to raise her voice to completely paralyze both me and Ms. Lohmes with fear. Frankly, for a second, I felt like if the floor was about to collapse, transporting us straight to the deepest parts of hell. Apparently, Sherlieta realized how grave was the mistake of using such expression and began to desperately beg for forgiveness. On the side note, why did she bother with that? It was unlikely that Blanc could cast a necessary to get rid of a ghost spell, so only the physical container, which was in other words me, should be afraid.

" **RUNCORN! KILL THAT STUPID BITCH RIGHT NOW!** " Huh? " **WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT DUMBASS?! DON'T EVEN THINK OF PISSING ME OFF MORE OR I'LL SMACK YOU OUT OF THE FUCKING WINDOW ON THE WAY!** " I couldn't believe in sounds coming into my ears. A goddess couldn't have been possessed too, could she? Otherwise, it meant that cool and composed Blanc, who had spoken with me so slowly and politely had just bombarded me with accompanied by a dead threat chain of curses. I had already noticed we were more or less on the level of the third floor, so such fall would surely result in my death.

Shaking off the initial shock, I had to take control over the situation before words could become actions. So far, she had been keeping her hand on the square, but I was worried it could change anytime soon. "When did you get into my body?" Though ignoring her was most likely the worst possible choice, I could ease up a little since I managed to sneakily put up a weak barrier. Of course, it had no chance to prevent someone as powerful as the CPU, however, it should still be enough to buy me the necessary to dodge time. If Blanc went berserk on me, I would have to run for it and make contact with MAGES. before it was too late. " **DON'T IGNORE ME BASTARD!** " As I thought. "I'll take care of her, but I deserve to know at least that much, don't you think?" As she couldn't retort even in rage, Blanc groaned and settled down for a moment.

"So, I'm listening…" I demanded, hearing a spiritual gulp. I wondered how someone like that could have been once a prominent detective, however, since I had no proof that death had impact on her initial personality, I didn't make any comments. " _Umm… In the ambulance…_ " "That can't be truth. If so then you wouldn't be able to influence me in any way yet. That can only be done after stage 2." Meaning, the possessing party had to be in contact with possessed for over a week. Thereby, it must have been I brought her from Lastation with me. " _I swear it! On detective's honor! I didn't know that I was in a living human until you woke up!_ " Sherlieta frantically defended herself. According to the theory, that was a straight-out lie, yet why did she sound so convincing? I wished I could examine this case more, but I knew this had to be resolved soon or a certain angered goddess would forcefully do it for me.

"Anyway, why did you make me say that?" My tone caused a small eruption of scream. " _I… I… I don't know what you are talking about!_ " How credible she thought to be after making so much noise? I sighed in thoughts. "Why did you make me say all of that nasty shit to her?" Repel Undead at minimum volume accompanied the repetition, causing Lohmes to make some inaudible pained grunts. " _It's because…_ " "Because?" Another dose had even weirder effect. For some strange reason I was getting an impression Sherlieta's ghost was immensely enjoying what I intended to be a torture for her. " _Do I really have to say that aloud?_ " She asked shyly. "You do." " _Oh, you're so forceful. Even a dead maiden wants to have her secrets…_ " … If it wasn't anything personally connected to me, I'd have already freed this world from such extremely annoying presence in this instance. " _Scary!_ _Okay! Okay! I'm telling you already! Just… Please give me a second to mentally prepare myself!_ " She was acting like if she was about to share an embarrassing secret with us. Whatever it was, the matter must have been highly emotional for her. " _Alright. I guess I'm ready._ " A break for a loud inhale and… " _It's because I fell in love with you!_ "

Excuse me? I had never imagined my first love confession would come from a residing inside of my body ghost. No matter how hard I tried to look at it, the concept seemed like a nonsense. "You are messing with me right now, aren't you?" " _I'm not! I haven't been so serious in my entire life. And death. It's the first time I met someone as just as you are. So, I guess I got a little carried away and…_ " "Don't listen to her. She's trying to manipulate you." Blanc who apparently calmed down reminded me of her presence. " _That's not true! I'd never done that. Please let me stay. I'll be useful to you!_ " She could be right. If she really was such an amazing detective, having her with me could be beneficial. Additional pair of skilled eyes could be really helpful… However, I knew it wasn't possible to achieve. Unless…

"Two souls cannot coexist. If we were to remain this way, my body would eventually reject both of us." " _That's sad…_ " "Although, I may have a solution where everyone can gain what they want. Sherlieta Lohmes, answer me with all honesty you have. Do you wish to lend me your talents until the end?" "You aren't…?" Blanc gasped as after the flick of my finger the magic circle switched its color. " _Yes! I'll do my best!_ " "Are you sure about that? Once you agree there won't be any coming backs. You will lose your ability to interact with the world anyhow but through me. That's the last warning." " _I'm in._ " "Good. Lady Blanc, from now on, please don't take off your hand at any cost." "Yeah…?" She nodded with a baffled expression on her face. "Alright. Once you were a splendid detective, now death prevents you from doing what you are best at. Therefore, after declaring your will, another chance to fight crime and injustice shall be given to you. Sherlieta Lohmes, give me everything you have and become one with my eye!"

When I finished incantation, the ring around my feet illuminated in purple. The blinding light was accompanied by increasing in strength tremors. I could feel the floor shaking terribly and soon after there was a sound of shattering glass. However, that wasn't the worst.

My left eyeball, which I designated as the residence of an artifact made from Sherlieta's soul, became a center of unbearable pain. It was like if it was being drilled. Deeper and deeper, invisible blade pierced through my cornea and sunk into vitreous body. Despite that, I hadn't wavered because if I did, not only my life would be endangered.

I gritted my teeth and swallowed. Since that strange detective girl was willing to go to such extremes, she had to be depending on me. Therefore, I had to keep my word. "Everything will be fine." I whispered to nobody in particular. And then, it was done.

"Are you alright?" I dropped half-conscious next to Blanc. "I think so. What was that all about?" "Sorry, I should've told you sooner but I was afraid the spirit would try to interrupt. We got lucky as it was a rather cooperative one." I weakly smiled to her. "Thanks. I wouldn't make it without you." "I guess I owed you that much..."

Suddenly, the door of the room opened. "Lady Blanc, Lady Blanc?! What happened?!" The maid burst inside. "Sorry for that. I know how hard you worked to clean all of this." I apologized to her. "Wh-what happened to your eye?!" She let out a scream, slightly jerking back in terror. "My eye?" Although I hadn't noticed it before, the left side of my vision was rather reddish. I swiped the area with my index finger and immediately realized why was that. "Blood." It poured all over my face. That must have been why she reacted this way. For someone sensitive, this had to be a look like from a horror movie. "Don't move. I'll be right back!" As fast as she appeared, she was already gone, probably looking for something to patch me up.

"Quite an energetic girl, isn't she?" I casually laughed. "She is. Come here, I will give you a hand." With Blanc's assistance I moved myself back on the bed. "Michael Runcorn, there is more to you than a simple secretary, isn't it?" "Heh, who knows? Maybe even I am not aware of it yet."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13. RED**

"Quite impressive library you have here." I looked around Blanc's study. I had already been in the Basilicom for three days; however, it was the first time I actually entered her personal workplace. "It is nothing amazing. You should see our national one." She humbly replied. Nonetheless, it didn't change my opinion as I had never seen so many books in one room. On the side note, I liked to read myself, so I definitely felt comfortable in such surrounding.

Considering that my recovery had been steadily progressing, during this meeting we were about to discuss my next move. As the matter of fact, I couldn't stay here forever. "How is your eye?" She asked while shifting position on her chair. "Still sticks out a bit. Though if I am focused, I can make it seemingly normal." "That is good news. I doubt having flashy red one next to a normal brown eye is convenient." Well, I couldn't disagree. People would gaze at me suspiciously on every corner.

"Lady Blanc, do you write?" I noticed a small pile of fully covered in handwriting pages behind one of the boxes on the floor. "What do you mean?" "Like novels, short stories, etc." "Yeah, I do, from time to time as a hobby. How did you know?" "Lately I can see more than I used to." I grinned pointing on my special eye. "Anyway, good luck with that. Once you make it big, I'll buy your work for su…"

"What is it?" Blanc's brow rose when I suddenly stopped midsentence and rapidly turned over in the direction of entrance. "Somebody's at the door." I announced. Thanks to Sherlieta's ghost sealed inside of my eyeball, all of my senses became superhumanly sharp and frankly, I hadn't got used to it yet. "Ah, it is got to be our tea. Right in time."

"Good morning Lady Blanc, Michael. I'm sorry I'm late." A girl wearing maid outfit warmly beamed at us, pushing a trolley with a teapot in. "It's okay. Your shift has not even officially begun." "Hey, Financier." I nodded to her. Financier – chamberlain of Lowee Basilicom was pretty much the closest employee of Blanc. More or less, she was nearly on the same post as I did in Planeptune, so it could have been one of the reasons why we got along. "Hello." While facing me the power of her smile increased and a slight blush appeared on her face. For some reason she would always behave this way when I was around and I couldn't grasp why. It seemed that my detective vision wasn't as perfect as I thought…

After pouring the tea into cups and handing them to us, Financier had backed off to the side, allowing us to continue the discussion. "Back on the track. I think I should finally inform you what happened to others." Blanc took a sip. Mimicking her, I did so too, but once the liquid met with my tongue, I nearly spat it all out. So sweet! I didn't pay much attention to Financier while she was putting sugar in, so she must have overdone it again. Every time she was preparing anything for me there was something wrong with proportions of ingredients. To avoid hurting her feelings, I pretended to enjoy the taste anyway. "I talked to Neptune and the only complain she had was that hot spring trip failed. Since I explained the situation she does not blame you, but she said that no matter what you are up to next, you have to apologize to Noire beforehand. Otherwise she will punch you on sight, she promised." So, that was her being mad. Still, a tiny relieve… "About the latter?" "Well, here lays the main problem. It seems that after the incident they returned straight to Lastation. Moreover, Noire does not answer any calls to this day. Nonetheless, I was lucky enough to get in touch with Uni. Putting what I learnt from her in simple words, for a while you should stay as far from them as it is only possible." I should have been expecting that. "Then I'm in quite a deadlock, aren't I?" I couldn't come back to Planeptune until I made up with Noire and doing it was temporarily impossible. "I agree it is not entirely your fault but I can somehow understand how they feel..." Though her statement could be interpreted as an act of sympathy, Blanc shot me a you-should-reap-what-you-sow look and gazed upon a small clock on her desk.

"My goodness. She should arrive soon. Financier, open the window, please." "This one?" "No, the larger one on your left. Recently we had too much shattered glass…" Just what the hell was going on? Who was _she_ and why a window was needed to be open? Noticing how clueless I was, Blanc decided to reveal a part of the secret. "I hope you are aware of the fact I cannot let you remain in my household forever. For various reasons…" Was I imagining it or did she glance over to Financier as she said that? "Yeah, probably. Officially I'm still affiliated with a different nation and stuff." "Of course, I am able to organize different lodging for you outside of the Basilicom, however, that would not change much. Neither would sending you over to Leanbox. That is why I came out with this idea. Until those issues settle, Michael Runcorn has to disappear from the radar."

"Disappear?" "Please refrain from looking at me like if I was planning to have you assassinated. I only meant that you should become an adventurer. I can easily tell that besides your notable magic skills, you are not exactly the weakest. With a proper companion you can develop even more and gain valuable field experience while on it." Yes, hearing all of that flattery felt nice. "But with whom I could travel though?" "You will see soon." She announced with a perfect timing as a high-pitched shriek from outside reached our ears.

"YAHOOOOOOOOO!" I should have already deducted it. The special guest had flown into the room through the open window and with a series of backflips, eventually landed on the desk with a pirouette. "When a wifey calls for help, I'll be right at her side. As fast as the wind, I am the vengeance, I am the wifey protector, I am RED."

… Three dots were all I could muster to comment this introduction. Not knowing how to react to this peculiar individual, I scratched my head. If this person was supposed to be my new teacher, I began to consider politely rejecting the offer.

Even though this RED was more or less as tall as Blanc, the first easy to detect difference between them was the size of hidden under her dark vest chest area. Underneath the vest she wore a sleeveless red dress decorated with cherry petals pattern. Anyhow, the most unusual part of her outfit had to be the golden dragon ornament wrapped around her waist.

"Good morning RED. Thank you for joining us today." The goddess courteously welcomed the visitor. "Hiya, Blanc. So where is it that person you wanted me to meet?" "He sits right here. RED this is Michael Runcorn. Michael, meet RED." "Hi…?" I was completely ignored… Instead of replying, RED intensively peered into my face.

"What are you doing?" The girl seemed oblivious of my attempts to make contact and proceeded with a careful inspection of my head. I had to admit, it was a bit uncomfortable since the distance between us was so small that her bright hair was nearly falling into my eyes. "A husbando, huh?" Certainly, without a question I was a guy, if that was what you were wondering…

"So, what didya want me to do with him, honey?" Finally, she backed off. "You checked him out and what do you think?" "Hmmm… Could be worse. I think he's quite strong and with such a pretty boy face I bet a lot of wifeys would flock around him." Don't talk about me like if I wasn't here, I nearly yelled at them. "Do you think he would be of any help during your adventures, RED?" "I dunno. Probably. With some training…" "In other words, will you take him with you if he asks to?" "Husbandos of my wifeys are also my husbandos, so I guess?" "I see. Then the decision is only yours Michael."

A proud smirk appeared on Blanc's face. I was getting an impression she had preplanned everything to see that in the end, I would leave alongside RED. If I were to say no, the girl could feel offended, so knowing my recent trauma and my terribly exaggerated 'nice guy' trait, she assumed I wouldn't dare to refuse. Damn, she had everything perfectly calculated…

Nonetheless, I intended to play along. Blanc's arguments convinced me that it was the best course of actions. In order to apologize to those I hurt, I needed strengthen my heart and soul. No matter what, I had to overcome my powerlessness. "I'm in your care RED. Please let me join your party."

"Yay! Then it's settled! All wifeys will be ours. Let's head out at once!" Somehow, she seemed rather happy because of that. Though she had a slight lone wolf vibe to her, I guessed she was looking forward to have a companion. "Sure. Give me a sec to pack my things first. I don't have much on me, but it's still worth taking." "I brought everything for you." Financier cheerfully informed, handing me bag with my entire equipment in it. Distracted by what was going on here, I didn't even notice when she had taken care of that. "Thanks a bunch." I quickly put the armor on and donned the sheath of my sword. Immediately, my mood had entered adventuring mode. "Alright. I'm ready." I lightheartedly saluted. "Wait! Hold on a moment. I forgot about the most important part!"

"What do you mean RED?" "The pledge. I can't go out with you until you say it." As long as she wouldn't make me vow anything stupid… "What do you want me to do?" "Repeat after me. _I do hereby solemnly swear to protect my wifey with my lifey._ " Acceptable, at least for now. "I do hereby solemnly swear to protect my wifey with my lifey." "The end." "The e… That's all?" I didn't know what I expected but fortunately, the oath finished with just one line. "Yup. Okeydokey. We're done here!" Satisfied, RED jumped down from the desk and grabbed my collar. Her grasp was surprisingly strong and since she was much lower than me, I was forced to the floor. "Hey, I can walk myself, you know?" "Don't sweat it. This way is faster." And definitely bringing my pride to a minus value. Just let me down, would ya? Yet, she ignored my protests and proceeded to move towards the window she jumped through. "Blanny my dear wifey, let's go on a date someday!" "Good fortunes to both on you. Please take care of him for me." "I will." Hello darkness, my old friend… At this rate I was going to become depressed before we even left, as my person became itemized. And by the way, was she really planning to jump down like that? It was a freaking second floor! Desperately searching for help, I turned to Financier. "Please come and visit us any time. I'll look forward to that." Her angelic smile would make my heart skip a beat in any normal circumstances. Interestingly enough, those girls who weren't even aware of their charm could act the cutest. However, before I had a chance to reply, I already found myself falling down.

And they were already gone… Blanc sighed with relieve. Truth to be told, she was a bit scared that it was their last meeting. "Could you close the window? It is getting cold." She reminded Financier, who blankly stared into the distance. "Oh, I'm sorry." Hiding her embarrassed face, the chamberlain did what she was asked to.

Now the Basilicom would return to its normal quiet self. Having this guy stay for a few days, Blanc noticed how refreshing it was to have a new tenant. Rom and Ram seemed to like him too. And so did Financier, who seemed to be enjoying company of someone her age the most.

However, with Michael gone Blanc had one regret. In the end, she hadn't asked him about it. When she went to pick up his stuff, she met with paramedics who were in that ambulance. According to them, Michael's heart stopped on the way to hospital. She didn't understand why, but well, it must have been connected to that ghost… Time to go back to work.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14. Manbearpig**

"Kyaaaah!" Two girls screeched in terror once a ferocious bear-like beast had appeared on the road to their village. Attracted by the sound, the monster begun to engage, so the petrified girls dropped their baskets and ran. Ever since their childhood they had been told to do so whenever they would encounter a dangerous creature.

Few meters later, one of them tripped over a sticking out root. In spite of the incoming danger, her friend bravely returned to help, but it wasn't enough. Her ankle was swollen, probably even broken. She was in no condition for further escape, however, her friend didn't consider abandoning her. Because of that, their speed drastically lowered and soon after, the bear had hazardously closed up on them. Those girls already knew there was no more hope. Crying and hugging each other, they dropped on the ground, awaiting the inevitable. Were they going to be devoured alive or smashed by bear's giant paws? Answer to this question wouldn't be revealed as at this moment the scene was interrupted with a strength of a thunderbolt.

"HAAIYAAAA!" RED sent the monster flying with a powerful kick. "Don't worry my sweethearts, you are saved!" She triumphantly declared, although her message seemed yet to be understood. Finally, one of them stuttered. "T-thank you." "No biggie. Helping out wifeys in need is my favorite past time." She answered grinning at them. Focused on the newly met, RED didn't even notice that the bear was still alive and preparing a counterattack.

"Watch out!" The village girls screamed in unison to warn their savior, but it wasn't necessary. Six knifes simultaneously hit beast's vitals and by connecting via an electric discharge, they had slain the monster on spot.

"Was it m-magic?" Of course, rumors about magicians got even here, to a village in the middle of nowhere, however, it was the first time when someone living here had actually seen it with their own eyes. For that reason, even though they were scared, they couldn't help but to feel extremely excited. Could it be _him_? They exchanged looks. Since yesterday the village lived by gossip caused by two visitors. A mysterious man and his young female follower instantly became a topic number one. It had to be them. The girls nervously gazed in the direction from where projectiles were thrown.

"Geez, RED you should stop being so careless." I shook off leaves out of my cloak. After RED suddenly stormed off yelling about 'wifeys in need' I didn't take her seriously from the start. Next time, I wouldn't repeat such mistake, as it seemed her intuition was right. "I knew you had my back all along." "But what if I didn't? Well, whatever. I'm only wasting my breath on you. Let me see your leg for a moment, please." Passing RED, I knelt in front of two speechless damsels we saved from distress.

The wounded one shyly showed me her ankle. I could easily tell moving it caused her a lot of pain. "You were lucky. It's only twisted. If you want me to, I can heal you a bit. Although, you will still have some difficulties with walking." "Please." "Sure. Leave it to me." Seeing how afraid she was, I gently smiled to reassure her and casted a simple healing spell.

Definitely, I wasn't an expert of this field of magic, however, as for now, the effect should be sufficient. "How does it feel?" "G-good." She answered with a surprise on her face. "I'm glad. Trying using it now. Come, I'll lend you my shoulder just in case." Encouraged, she stood up. At first, steps she took were small and insecure, but as she noticed her ankle was working correctly, she regained confidence and smiled. With all honesty I had to admit, there was something heartwarming in witnessing appreciation of good you had done for others.

"Thank you, good sirs. We owe our lives to you." Her friend politely bowed. "Don't mention it. We will escort you to the village now. With all of those monsters it's getting rather intense." "Yup. Leave it all to us!" Since they were locals, they should have known it themselves. Frankly, the high activity of hostile bear-like beasts was one of our main reasons to visit this area. There was a huge bounty for the head of the pack's leader, so in order to protect people and earn some nice cash we decided to take on this quest.

In such style, our four-member party set off. With RED as vanguard and me in the back, our priority was to protect the defenseless two. "You don't need to be scared. I promise I will keep you safe no matter what." Seeing how tense the wounded girl was, I whispered to her. Since I was taller, I had to bend a little to allow her to grasp my shoulder. "It's not… I just…" She muttered. Perhaps this situation was a bit too embarrassing for her as it was pretty much the first time she had met me. It was completely normal to feel this way about closeness with a stranger.

None of us felt like talking and because of that, the pressure wasn't lowering. Maybe it was for the best, since we were entering the most critical part of the forest. I had already lost the count how many of those bears we have eliminated, so their leader should have already been aware of our activity. That was, if it was indeed as intelligent as the legend claimed. The name Manbearpig couldn't exactly be counted among the most terrifying ones, however, its origin would prove this impression wrong. According to a several records, when a group of the Guild members stumbled across a deserted village, they had discovered something dreadful. Every single person who lived there had been brutally murdered and their bodies were mutilated. During the investigation, only one credible proof had been found and according to it, a conclusion had been drawn. The perpetrator had to be an enormously sized bear-like monster with intelligence estimated around human's. Later on, several similar cases occurred and eventually, the monster was sighted. A 12-member party went after it, but the expedition turned out disastrous. Only 2 of the warriors survived, even though when they were found, they were no longer sane. No one understood why but muttering of those two combatants quickly became commonly used while referring to this classified as SS rank beast.

Only a fool wouldn't be terrified to face such monstrosity. However, humanity couldn't live in constant fear. That was why we had to strike back. Despite the fact many more experienced than me had failed, I needed to do something. Even if I could be throwing away my life as well…

When I focused, all of my senses were working on a level impossible to achieve for another human being. That was why when I noticed I was being watched, I immediately turned in that direction. "Uu au." The girl leaning on me rapidly averted her head. If she wanted to ask me something, then with such reaction time I must have successfully scared her off. Maybe I should start the conversation for her? I had already opened my mouth to do so when an ear-piercing roar shook the entire forest.

"KYAAAAAAAH! What was that?" Our civilians screamed as the increasing sound of falling down trees began to close up on our position. "RED, that's gotta be him." None of the previously encountered minions was able to create so much ruckus. "Ehm." RED gulped. Even someone as carefree as she was shaking. And so was I. But I knew that lives of all present would be lost if I didn't fight. "Protect those two." I ordered her circling around. Without a doubt, it had to be the infamous Manbearpig. No ordinary monster would try to prevent us from predicting the direction of the first blow by shifting its location in such manner. And only if I wasn't here, it would succeed.

"WATCH OUT!" Lunging with my sword I pushed one of the girls on the ground. If I didn't manage to perfectly calculate this moment, she would have just lost her head as a heavily armored paw cut the air on such height. Instead, I parried the attack. The force nearly threw the blade out of my hands. Somehow, I pushed it back by activating an offensive electric enchantment. Since most metals were good conductors of electricity, keeping on casting Thunderbolt on the weapon could greatly increase the damage output against enemies such as this one.

" **ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRR** " The beast let out its anger. Similarly to those small fries, Manbearpig also reminded a bear, however, it differed from the rest with the black color of fur. Not to mention the fact it was far bigger and stronger. So, the rumors weren't overstated, huh? Although none of them actually mentioned the part about full-body armor, I was certain it didn't don it just to greet us today. Mastering usage of something as heavy took a lot of time even for someone with such monstrous strength.

"RED take them and run!" I commended when Manbearpig jumped back to avoid my sparky slash. "But! You…" "I'll stall it until you're back! GO!" I rolled behind the tree to avoid incoming jaw. Even though there was a chance of instantly ending the fight this way, I didn't want to risk stabbing directly through the mouth until I knew there was no special defensive mechanisms there. "I won't leave you here alone!" So stubborn! Even if it could result with death of all of us, RED wouldn't budge. She was always like that when it mattered the most. And those two villagers wouldn't do anything on their own as they were literally frozen from fear. Damn it! Their presence was holding us back. If they refused to cooperate, everything depended on me. I had to do something as long as I had monster's focus!

At that moment I casted an airwave up into the sky. Since I did it considerably close to monster's head, Manbearpig backed away slightly stunned. In the meantime, another one went through the closest tree cutting the wood like if it was nothing. Before the trunk had a chance to fall down I climbed it up in midair and then jumped down, aiming for the weak spot. "I've got you now bastard." Cockily, I braced for the hit.

However, at this moment I already knew, I fucked up. I shouldn't have underestimated such fearsome monster. Like if it was waiting for the whole time for me to do that, Manbearpig simply dodged, smacking me into one of the nearby trees.

"Guagh!" I coughed up blood. Its bittersweet taste remained in my mouth for a while, but due to an undergone shock, I barely could feel it. On the encounter with the tree my back cracked and my head bounced off, making my vision to spin and blurry with the mixture of blacking out. I felt like I was about to faint any second. Some noise from a distance seemed to call out to me, however, I was unable to understand their words. Because of that, I feared my brain took some damage. Anyway, what was going on? Why was I here in the first place? I sensed a handle of my trusty sword in my grip. Yes, I was fighting, but with whom though? A large black silhouette appeared in front of my eyes and together with it, recollection of leading to this point events.

I failed and I was about to die. I tried to shout to other to run, but instead I only chocked on more blood. "Leave my husbando alone!" From Manbearpig's perspective it must have been like if a fly sat down on its armor. Executed with a finishing kick combination couldn't possibly do any harm. _RED you idiot!_ I would have called her if I could. " **ROOOOOAAAAR** " Its voice was nearly enough to make her fall, yet she pushed forward with an evident resolve, dancing around the beast with her attacks. If the foe was different, the outcome would have surely been RED's victory. However, this time success was impossible. She must have already realized that herself and dashed back, between me and the bear.

 _Leave me here and contact Planeptune Basilicom for help._ That was what I intended to say. "Never! I will never abandon any wifeys and the same goes for husbandos!" RED seemed to read my mind. _But you will die too!_ "This scary looking bear is falling down today!" _But how? Haven't you seen what it done to me? I couldn't even scratch it!_ "Let's do this! HAAAAAAAGYA" _RED!_ There was anything I could do to stop her from this foolish suicidal move. Oblivious of the danger, she faced our enemy head on.

THUMP. " **ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR** " Unexpectedly, before RED could even get into the range, Manbearpig nearly destroyed my eardrums by letting out a desperate scream of agony. " **ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR** " The beast began to spasm in rage as a red liquid began to squirt out off the back of its head, where something long and thin was sticking out.

"Now we help you in return, good sirs." I noticed the two girls we saved before holding our crossbow. Joining forces, they managed to shoot it and hit the bullseye. Even I didn't see that small break in the armor around the nape and yet they even landed a hit on such difficult target. There had to be a limit of luck. "Here. Take this, good sir!" A package had flown to me and a set of throwing knives scattered with a metallic clatter around my half limp legs. "Finish it off and let's party with our new wifeys!" RED encouraged me to take action. _Everyone…_ Despite the fact the most logical option in this situation was to escape and diminish losses, all of them worked together to save me. Even those who most likely had a weapon in their hands for the first time in their lives. For that reason, I couldn't let them down!

Pushing through my limits, I lunged to pick up knives. Six of them – half of the whole amount should be enough. I grasped them properly and as far as the position allowed me to, I entered the throwing stance. On three… **One**. Three at the brain, two at paw joints and the last one to the heart. **Two**. Clearing my mind on such circumstances was a challenge, however, I had to overcome it. **Three**! _Here I come, Manbearpig!_

I witnessed the trajectory of my projectiles in slow-motion. Five of them flews exactly where I intended them to and what about the last one? The sixth one wasn't going to miss its target as well. I laughed inside. To be able to pull off something like that in my condition meant that absurd amounts of luck were on my side today. Thank you, good fortunes. Now all what was left to do was… FLICK

When the tip of the short blade met with monster's armor its body was engulfed by an electric field. As I previously pointed out, most of metals were great conductors of electricity so a well casted spell fried the flesh inside with ease. Manbearpig scowled in agony and it didn't last long until the enormous bear dropped on the ground defeated.

"Is it really dead?" "It doesn't move anymore…" The silence after victory was a rare sight. Although, I wasn't surprised in this case. I kind of wouldn't be shocked if the boss was planning to get up and start the second stage of the fight. I was certain others felt like that too. Nonetheless, it didn't seem like this prediction was going to be fulfilled. The corpse remained lifeless and only sparks were flying off it from time to time. Nothing out of ordinary, considering the circumstances. Because of that, it wouldn't be wise to get too close to the body for a rather long period of time. That was, unless the electricity had been neutralized beforehand. Corners of my lips rose forming a pained smile. Manbearpig had been slain. The village was safe. We were about to get rich. Haha. I made a mental note to remember we had to share the bounty with those two.

"Are you okay, good sir?! Does it hurt much?!" "Don't cling to him so much! His ribs might be broken!" I didn't even notice when everyone gathered around me. _Hack. Guagh_. I accidently spat out blood on her dress. With a movement to the throat I indicated I couldn't speak. "Don't push yourself. Is there anything we can do?" She turned to RED. "Yup. Stay with him my dear wifeys. I'll be back in a sec with our stuff!" And so, she had departed.

I remembered that alongside that crossbow we had quite a bunch of medical supplies in our equipment, however, the question was how useful they were going to be. "My cousin is a nurse in the capital. She taught me a bit. Can I…?" Slightly hesitant, one of the girls asked for a permission to do a checkup. I nodded. If I was still able to move then the spine should be intact, so it wouldn't be that dangerous to handle for an amateur. Therefore, nothing wrong could come out from giving my approval and having her push her hand between my back and the tree.

"Can you feel it?" She asked. _Nope._ Nothing. Even though I saw her pinching my neck, I hardly could feel any touch at all. "Not good, good sir. How about here?" Still no results. "Do you know what it is?" Her friend looked rather horrified. "We will have to transport him to the village and ask my grandma." "Oh, yeah. She was a nurse in the capital too, right?" "Yup. It was long ago, but she still knows how to help people." "Th… Th…" Yet another time my throat had produced inarticulate sounds. "Don't talk, good sir! You're bleeding inside!" "What do we do? What do we do?" "We need to wait for the good lady first." "Oh, I have an idea! Good sir has healed my leg. Maybe he can also heal himself. At least a little." I was an idiot! Why hadn't I thought about it earlier?! I clenched my fist and began to mutter the strongest healing incantation I knew.

"Look! He's glowing all green!" "Like your ankle!" Thankful to those girls for reminding me of being an intermediate mage I continuously kept restoring my hit points. The longer it took, the better my condition got and soon after, I regained more or less full control over my body.

"Whoa! Good sir is amazing!" Both of them clapped their hands in awe when I stood up. "Thank you for your help, ladies. If it wasn't for your bravery I wouldn't be alive. I promise that you shall receive your parts from the beast's bounty. And since I owe you now, I will honor any of your wishes." "There's no need to! You saved us in the first place, so we're square now." "Yeah. We are happy you're alright. There's no need to thank us." They humbly rejected my offer. Even so, I would drop the cash at their places anyway. As a hunter, I had my pride and everyone in my party who contributed to the success wouldn't go back home emptyhanded.

"Yay! And he's back on his feet! Truly unkillable husbando!" RED waved her hand to me from the distance. She was pulling the cart with previously hunted bear hides and other miscellaneous items. "I'm not falling that easily, you know?" "Hah, you better. Having someone with such a wifey magnet is really convenient." Ever since we started to travel together those 4 months ago, our relationship had been steadily improving. At first, we used to argue a lot, but now, I would definitely agree that we became good friends.

"Guys, let's go back to the village for now." I suggested. Manbearpig's corpse had its 'security' around so no one would dare to try stealing our prize. Well, it wasn't like there was much traffic in this area these days. "Yes. Our parents must be sick of worries." "Then let's get going wifeys. I'm getting hungry." "Me too." "Hah, so we better hurry." I laughed and began to lead the way.

However, our trip was quickly interrupted as unable to move, I suddenly dropped in the middle of the road. "Good sir!" "It seems I ran out of fuel. Can you carry me into the cart?" It was embarrassing to ask it for many reasons, but there was no other choice. Apparently, due to the exhaustion only my jaw was still functioning. "S-sure." Somehow, the two girls helped me up on the cart and our journey restarted. Though my pride was badly hurt since my heroic return would took place in such pathetic manner. Ehhh…


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15. The Battle of Nowhere-in-Particular.**

"Hey, are we there yet? I'm tired of seeing trees all around. I wanna see some new wifeys!" "You ask me? You're the one with the map…" I sighed. It turned out that father of one of the girls we saved was a map maker and to thank us for rescuing his daughter, he gifted us a map of the giant forest on which beginning the village was settled. Considering how rich I was, I felt a bit of bad for accepting it but eventually I gave in. Like that, after claiming the bounty and a week of rest we had returned on the path to Leanbox.

This forest had many names, however, the most common one of them was the Endless. I totally could see why. Even on the map its size was comparable to the city of Planeptune, if not bigger, of course. "Are you sure we are on the good road?" I peered down RED's shoulder. It wasn't hard to do so since she was way lower. "We are! Do you question my map reading skills, huh?!" That was perfectly what I did and only if she had paid more attention to the surrounding she would understand why.

It had been a good while since we passed a nonmentioned by the map border between regular forest and a jungle. Honestly, what the heck something like that was doing here in the first place? And why I hadn't done anything about navigation before? It was obvious we were lost. "Just give me that." Annoyed by this mistake I grabbed the piece of paper from RED's hands. "Hey, hey! Just because you're taller doesn't mean you can do stuff like that!" Ignoring her, I began to orient our position.

I should be the one doing it from the beginning… Anyway, here is the village. We went south… And then west, along leading towards the capital main trail. Afterwards we probably took this road to the east… But? "RED, we didn't pass the river yet, did we?" "Nope. I don't think so, why?" "That's strange. It should be right after the main path split…" I pondered looking around. "Maybe we didn't see it because we were attacked then?" "I don't know. It's hard to miss a river if its supposed to be that wide."

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't come up with any possibilities to pinpoint our current whereabouts. Did that mean the map maker wasn't aware of this place? Impossible. Even if it wasn't personally, he had to hear a lot of rumors from the adventures. For that reason, I doubted something as eye-catching as an unexpected rainforest would escape being noticed. Therefore, it had to be a matter of a mistake, either on our or his side. Unless…

"Let's continue this way. We will eventually leave the forest no matter in which direction we go." Not waiting for response, I increased the pace. Slightly dejected by it RED followed nevertheless.

I couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. Was I getting paranoid after realizing we were lost? There were no signs of any other presence around. As naturally as I could, I attempted to inspect the surrounding but I couldn't sense any other living beings than walking behind me RED. Even animals seemed to stay away from this area and because of that, the silence was overwhelming. Only sounds of our footsteps against the muddy ground could be heard. I fully enabled my Detective Vision. Since we could be in a greater danger than when that stone giant appeared, there was no point of having it surpassed now. I needed to maximize its utility to the fullest.

Of course, I could just be overthinking it. Lately I had been constantly wounded, so if we were really stepping into enemy's territory I didn't know how far I could push my body. After I began to make living from slaying monsters and helping RED meet new 'wifeys', I might have been getting stronger and stronger, however, that didn't mean I was invincible. In the end, I was only a human and that could be considered both as the weakness and the strength.

"I knew everything was okay! My nose can smell some quality wifeys up ahead. I can't wait to meet'em all." Suddenly RED's voice rang out. "Geez, don't say it like that out of sudden." "Haha, did I scare your man pants off?" As expected, she didn't sense any danger. Disregarding her jokes, I subtly hid my hands into pockets to have an instant access to the handle of my sword. Though I carefully listened to the environment, nothing here seemed odd. RED's intuition was usually on spot. If she was correct this time too, then were we going to encounter some females soon? Although the idea appeared a bit unrealistic, in Gamindustri even more ridiculous events liked to take place.

Calm down, Michael, I chanted in thoughts. In case of an ambush my combat abilities wouldn't be as effective if I remained that tense. I should just roll with it and stay vigilant. I imagined what the trio of goddesses would advise me in this situation. Blanc would have told me something wisely sounding, along the lines 'be wary and watch your steps'. I totally imagined her saying that. On the other hand, Neptune would blindly dash forward. That was her style – don't think but still succeed. Somehow everything was always playing out in her favor. And finally… Never mind… I shook my head to get rid of distracting thoughts. Right now, dealing with this problem was the most important task, so I should focus my entire attention there.

KOO HOO. KOO HOO. "What was that?" I nearly took out my weapon and gladly I didn't, since I quickly realized that sound must have been made by a bird. It seemed so realistic that I rejected the idea it was fabricated by a human, magic or technology. "I dunno. Go and check." "Why me though?" "You're the man in our party!" Figures…

Even though it was clearly a noise made by an animal and I could sense slight movement among the leaves, I didn't lower my guard as I crept upon the bushes. RED must have been scared too, so she stayed behind, carefully watching my back. Okay. If I were to be attacked, it would happen right after I checked it, not sooner. Otherwise setting up a trap would be pointless. There was also a possibility of RED becoming the target. She was most likely oblivious to the threat we could be in which made her easier to be taken down than me. Well, as long as I was fast enough I should be able to protect her.

And finally, the time had come. The hour of judgment, or something like that. I loudly swallowed. I had to focus! As much as it was possible and even further beyond, however, maybe on another occasion as I didn't have the privilege to stop and shout for several hours beforehand. I saw red light from my eye on the greenery. It never lit that brightly. Alright, here comes nothing, I made my mind and spread the bushes to find the perpetrator.

At that same moment I felt light, nearly unnoticeable vertical movement of air behind my back. I couldn't take any chances! With all I had I ducked and with a low blow kicked into the direction of this distortion. The first blow landed, but I couldn't stare idly. Not giving any opportunity to recover I grasped the figure and threw them at the closest tree, finishing off with a heavy punch to the skull.

The enemy must have been rendered unconscious and went limp. I didn't kill them, did I? Not like I was bothered by well-being of someone who attempted to sneak up on me, but I wished to have them properly interrogated first. I took one of the throwing knives out and pressed it against area of the throat, pinning them down with the weight of my body.

Even though the outfit didn't hint that, without a doubt this had to be a female. She was wearing something robe-like, reminding me of clothes wore by ninjas, although, they weren't black but had military camouflage pattern on them. Underneath of it, I could sense a solid piece of leather, which must have been her armor. Also, her entire face was wrapped by a scarlet scarf.

She looked like if she was really knocked down, however, I couldn't be too careless. In the end, she could have been just waiting for a moment when I felt secure to strike. With such hidden in the sleeve blade I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be a professional assassin. For that reason, it could be expected that she had more weapons on her. That was why I had to conduct a full body search before even thinking about taking her hostage.

In any other situation giving a woman such throughout patting would feel at least wrong. Though her body wasn't well-endowed, she was surely well-trained. Geez, what was I thinking and doing here...

My would-be attacker didn't have much personal belongings on her. All I found was a second similar weapon in her other sleeve and a tiny flask, half-filled with muddy green liquid. I could see it had been used recently. But how? Somehow, I could tell it wasn't meant to be drank. Then a poison? I glanced over her blades. They didn't seem visually strange anyhow. What about the smell? Chemical, but hardly distinguishable. Since I remembered about poisons which were needed to be dealt with extreme care and handled only in specific order and circumstances, I didn't dare to open the bottle up and compare. I couldn't possibly know how the mixture would react. This one could belong to the group of high risk, so I threw it inside of my pocket until I learn more.

Next step was to bind her. My Magic Shackles should do the trick as not only they fully would restrict the target, but also, they could be only removed by the caster. Quite convenient, that was as long as I wasn't facing a high-class mage. And… Done. I wondered how long it took. And RED didn't comment the situation anyhow? Impossible. She would never stay silent when something like that was taking place. Right, RED? I turned in the direction she stood.

However, she was no longer there. She was laying down on the ground few steps further. Shit! I should have known it from the beginning. There had to be more of enemies!

I dashed to her side as fast as I could without giving any openings. "RED? Can you hear me? RED?!" She wasn't responding. I even shook her shoulders but there was no contact at all. On the positive note, after carefully switching her position I saw she was breathing. Good sign. Since the pulse was also present, I felt reassured. Then why was she in such state? Once I looked at her knee I could already figure it out.

An averagely looking arrow was sticking out of there. Goodness, now RED had to become a city guard… I pulled the foreign object out of her skin and quickly healed the wound. Upon a fast inspection I learned that identical to the blade, the head of this arrow was slightly emanating a characteristic smell. So, did that mean it was a sleeping poison? I could conclude as much, but just in case I had to do examine further. However, before that, I still had to make it to the safety.

Suddenly, I felt something coming into my direction in a rapid speed, so I dove backwards to avoid the contact. Luckily, thanks to my instinct I managed to successfully dodge three arrows shot at me by an inch. I rolled over and took cover behind a trunk of a dead tree.

Though I knew how much of a disadvantage this position was, I had to plan my next move from here. I slowly peered out. No more projectiles. The archer must have already changed their position, most likely aiming to wing me from one of the sides. Although I couldn't hear them, I was certain about it. Even though I was aware of the fact it was highly probable that there was still more of them, I still couldn't predict two blades piercing the wood right next to my shoulder.

I rolled away and unsheathed my own weapon before the attacker could pull theirs out. Having to protect unconscious RED I couldn't run away too far. I had to confront them here. Otherwise they could just grab her and vanish into the unfamiliar to me jungle. "I'm here all alone and yet you can't face me head on. What kind of a newbie are you?" I taunted them though I wasn't sure it would work. If they were as professional as they appeared to be, they were most likely resistant to such trivial insults. On the other hand, this overconfident act could make me seem as all-bark no-harm target and give me a slight advantage to hide my whole potential as the trump card.

The worst thing about this situation had to be the fact I could hardly detect their presences. My foes had to have some kind of an anti-tracking magical enchantment on them. However, from my readings of the surrounding I still estimated at least three hostiles on the move. Since the three idle had to be me, RED and that knocked down girl, I decided to risk a bluff. "I know where the three of you are. Come out and play." From a perspective of unaware of my special abilities stranger it had to be a quite obvious lie, but I hoped that as long as I nailed the number, they wouldn't go all-in until they made sure it was a wild guess. Thereby, for the time being I was the one with upper hand.

And here they come! I blindly swung my blade when I sensed danger rushing towards me. Fortunately, I hit spot on and a few sparks flew out from a meeting between my katana and the two short kukris. So, that was your DPS, huh? Assuming that the previous two were assassin and the support, I wondered about the rest of their team composition. "You're still better than your friend. She fell in like a second." I noticed that clothes of this one were nearly identical and it made me even more certain I was dealing with an organization.

Seeing that she had no chance in direct combat with me, the kukri user backed off with a flip. Her movements were incredibly nimble, like if she had no bones at all. She must have undergone years of hellish training. "If that's what you want…" Before she had a chance to realize that I closed the distance between us with a quickstep and slashed horizontally. The blow hadn't been fully dodged and destroyed most of her sleeve. I didn't get to see whether I grazed to the blood as she jumped away, continuing to run.

I was slowly getting tired of chasing. Not in terms of physical strength, but rather I was just too impatient for that. For this reason, I had to come up with a solution to end the fight at once. Prolonging it would only raise the risk of reinforcements, so for the best, I had to be out of the area before it happened. "Alright! I yield. You won." Suddenly I decided to drop the weapon and bowed my head to the ground. "Take me to your leader." I intended to trick her into walking inside of my range. I was fully aware how naïve the target had to be to fall for such bad acting, although, as long as I didn't try, I wouldn't know if it could actually work out.

Two kukris froze. She had no clue that I was still able to see everything around while facing down. 360-degree vision from my magical eye was quite convenient in situations like this. Eventually, she began to cautiously approach. I could sense hesitation in her moves, which made me want to laugh. So far, I used to find my performance rather poor, but it seemed that I had to reevaluate my skills. Maybe I even had a talent for that, who knows? As a matter of fact, one of the greatest gambles of my life was already on and from now on it was impossible to rely only on luck.

She was getting closer and closer. By the way, what the hell was the archer doing? If I were them, I would have already fired several shots at myself to avoid any unnecessary risk. Maybe they had some sort of a strict honor code and because of that they couldn't attack an enemy who surrendered? There was no way of telling that. Anyway, that shouldn't bother me. I had to focus on taking out one of the throwing knives without being spotted.

Inspired by the first assassin, I had sneakily thrown one into my sleeve before I lowered my head. Now it was only a matter of actually pushing it out into my grasp. Though it didn't exactly sound difficult, having to accomplish such feat while avoiding any suspicion was raising the bar into new heights. There… I felt the steel moving downwards. I nearly had it. I shouldn't have thrown it so deep… And… On the same second as the handle landed right into my palms, the dual kukri user entered the impossible to escape radius.

Not waiting any longer, I sprung up with a round-house kick. In movies such attack would have always ended with the unconscious enemy flying off far away, however, this was reality. My leg was simply caught mid-air. "Hah. You have triggered my trap card!" This outcome was what I aimed for. Since she didn't drop her blades while holding my shoe with both hands, her reaction couldn't be fast enough to prevent me from directly stabbing under her ribs.

She tried to shake me off, but I only pressed the blade deeper. A muffled expression of pain came out from behind the cover of a scarf and the warm blood began to intensively pour out of the wound. No matter how well trained your body was, it wasn't easy to keep going at the same pace after receiving such damage. That was why decrease in her power level was instantly noticeable. Her resistance was gradually diminishing and eventually, disappeared. Did she die? I didn't get enough time to find out whether it was the case or not as a volley of arrows began to flow in my direction.

Even though a few of them went through parts of my clothes, none actually made contact with my body. "Aw, you want to fight now? How cute of you." I provoked the archer who left the hiding to face me. Or rather, to catch my attention and allow the fourth, spear wielding aggressor a to sneak behind my back.

I decided to let them go on with their little scheme for a while and in the meantime monitor movements in my 'blind spot'. I kept on avoiding arrows, allowing the other one to get closer. Though it was a risky move, it also was more promising if I wished to instantly take her down. Truth to be told, having to deal just with a ranged enemy was easier for me since I could focus my entire attention on missiles. But according to that logic, as the archer seemed to be the most threatening, shouldn't I take care of them first then? Well, it was already too late to think deeper about that or I would have been pierced by a javelin.

"Did you serious consider it a good idea?" I ducked chuckling. I grabbed the metal handle of the spear and by tackling the opponent with my own body, I forcefully took possession of the weapon. Its owner, dazzled by the sudden impact was still laying on the ground defenseless. Only turning the belonging against its previous wielder left. However, I wavered when I saw that her scarf had fallen off, revealing her face.

Our eyes met. I was fully aware of the fact that she was my enemy and I was in the middle of fight, but I still froze. Until now I had forgotten they were fellow humans and thought of them as yet another mob monsters. She was quite beautiful... I was caught in her light brown eyes and admired her contrasting to medium-long white hair slightly tanned complexion. That wasn't important now! I punched myself to get back to the reality. Spacing out on the battlefield was the worst I could… ARGH!

I got what I deserved. Even though the arrow didn't go deep into my right shoulder, I knew it was already a game over. Same as RED I would fall asleep soon. But before that, I had to take down both of them.

With the back of her spear I smacked the laying girl's head and threw it at the archer, who easily stepped out of the trajectory. Not giving them any rest, I began to empty my resources of throwing knives, even though I didn't know if any of them actually hit the mark. Despite the fact I didn't feel drowsiness yet, I had to be slowly running out of time. I had to finish this battle now at all cost. At the moment I realized I was holding the last projectile, a long eagle signal echoed from somewhere.

There was something unnatural about sharpness of this sound and because of that, I assumed it could only mean one thing. Their reinforcements were here. I lost. Using my moment of hesitation, the archer dashed towards her fallen ally and after picking her up, retreated into the forest.

Only me, RED and that unmasked girl remained on spot. A chill went through my spine as I suddenly felt a shadow of danger swallowing the entire jungle. The mood of despair caused by it was overwhelming and this pressure made my knees to weaken. Without a doubt, the boss fight was about to start and I wasn't prepared for it.

Clear your mind. Clear your mind. I began to silently chant. Even if I were to die here, I couldn't give up. I had to struggle against anything thrown at me until the last breath. I acted a bit too arrogantly while facing those small fries. As a matter of fact, they weren't that bad and probably only battle experience decided on my victory. However, the boss was different from them.

I couldn't sense any signs of living beings at all. The boss was either able to completely conceal themselves or wasn't a human in the first place. This idea made me shiver. The aura around made me feel I would never be happy anymore and the worst experiences I wished to forget resurfaced. My very first night in Gamindustri… Alone and ignorant of the world I would have to live in, I woke up every now and then, only to see a ceiling I was unfamiliar with and feel the bed I slept in for the first time... No, that's wrong. None of that actually happened. I wasn't alone. A certain someone had reached out to me and even made me her secretary. Hah, I probably would never discover the reason why she had done that, but it didn't change the fact how grateful I was. Neptune, I know you can't hear me, but I just want to tell you I'll come back and thank you for taking me into your household on that day.

"Bring it on!" A warm sensation filled my body, making the weariness from the previous battle fade. The dark atmosphere seemed to be pushed off by the mixture of my determination and hope. Hope to see the tomorrow. Hope to see happiness of those I cared about. For their sakes I couldn't lose here. No matter who it was, I would beat them up and safely return. Just wait, boss. I would make you regret crossing my path.

Upon hearing my readiness to fight, two missiles were fired at me from opposite sides. As their speed wasn't exactly high I didn't have any issues with dodging. CLACK. Two kunai crashed into each other and vanished in front of my eyes. Magic? I didn't have enough time for ponder whether it was a spell or an enchanted item as another pair flew from different locations.

Again, I avoided the impact. Given that the sound of their reunion was slightly louder, I concluded that their speed raised as well. What were they expecting to do with such attacks? I felt like if I was being tested. Though for what? How much I could take before I mentally break or was it something else? I jumped away from the third pair and instantly succeeding it fourth one. Or rather, I should have called both of them a wave number three since the four kunai clashed together. So, the difficulty had increased, huh?

A couple of minutes later I was already out of my breath. I lost track of how many stages I dealt with and it didn't look like it was going to end soon. Couldn't they just come down to me in a normal way? I was sure it would be faster and more convenient for both of us. Basically, those attacks were now constant, so I couldn't even take a second to rest. Geez, it had to be a wonder that I wasn't hurt yet. I braced for the next one as I noticed something had changed.

Distracted by necessity of never-ending dashes and jumps I hadn't realized that a large mass of magical energy was accumulating in the air. Something big was coming. I could feel it in my bones.

"Well, shit." I spat out and moved towards RED. According to schematics known from video games, my boss was about to launch their heaviest attack. Considering that besides my own person I had to guard an unconscious companion, my position was even worse than in the first place. Fuck. At that moment I also saw the spear user who was caught in the area of effect with us.

"Get behind me!" I shouted to her. She seemed to understand what was happening and was frantically running around. "Hey, listen to me if you want to survive! Tell me all you know about it!" I grabbed her wrist and pulled to me. She gave no resistance and meekly fell down on the ground. "Whoever they are, your allies left you to die. Are you still going to cover up for them, idiot?!" I kind of pitied her. Though I couldn't have possibly known how she felt about this betrayal, I decided to save her nonetheless. Later on, she could stab me or leave without a word, I wouldn't mind. This was just a self-righteous act to satisfy my conscious. "Look. No human being is disposable and see what they did to you? Are you sure you are okay with such a treatment?" Since her face was again covered by the scarf, I couldn't see her lips moving, however, an inaudible mumble reached my ear. "Do what you want. And I will do the same. That's why I will save you too, even at the cost of my life!"

This resolve seemed to give my body a boost. I felt incredibly fired up and fully focused at the same time. Until this day I hadn't experienced anything like that. I raised my sword to the level of my eyes. Although the material used to produce this weapon wasn't coming from the highest shelf, it didn't change the fact it saved my skin on the countless occasions. So, please. Even though I didn't bother to give you a proper name yet, lend me your strength. I prayed to the dependable handle. It can be the last day for both of us, so let's give it our best shot. Others were counting on us. I looked at the dirty blade again. Despite the state it was in I could see my own distorted reflection. Was I imagining it or did the steel began to glow? "Alright! Let's get out of it together. I promise I will create a miracle with my own hands!"

Suddenly a complete darkness had fallen upon us. Not even a single ray of sun could break through. I regulated my eye into a night vision and thanks to that I could find out the reason of this phenomenon.

To put things simply, we were locked out of the outside world by a made of identical kunai dome. Holy shit. If all of them were to attack us at once, likelihood of survival was not existent. Nonetheless, it wasn't enough to make me falter. I casted every single buffing spell I knew on our three. Probably it would mean naught, however, the effort itself helped to build up the necessary for taking on any risky ideas confidence. If I had to block, then what would be the most efficient method? As my enemy was more powerful than I, relying just on a magical barrier was foolish. Then what about this? I gazed upon my blade. I heard rumors about people who could parry bullets, arrows, etc. with their swords. Maybe I should try the same? Having to deal with one or few and a shitload like this probably made a grand difference. Anyway, it was all I had so far to keep the promise I made. Yet another time, I checked on the shiny surface. Would it work out? I wondered as the deadliest rain of Gamindustri had finally started.

TRACH. CLACK. SWISH. The pattern of sounds put me into a state of trance. Somehow, the barrier managed to at least slow down the kunai, so they wouldn't fall on us together. But I could sense it wasn't going to last much longer. And what would happen afterwards? I hardly defended us against those, so if the pressure was to increase, I wouldn't be able to keep up. We desperately needed another mean of defense. A perfect one to stop all of them at once. An absolute one.

Slashing your sword left and right was the most basic principle. However, those who ascended on the ladder of mastery higher than rank 'newbie' could utilize their hard work and create their own unique combinations and skills. Therefore, it was time for me to produce one too.

I remembered what MAGES. taught me about creating new spells. She said that it was a hard and lengthy process for the main branches of magic and it wasn't granted to have desired effects. On the other hand, there was something faster more reliable, nicknamed as 'experimental'.

Even among magicians not many people knew about this school and those who did, would rather avoid the subject as experimental spells were counted as the deadliest for both surrounding and the caster. Because of that, only evil sorcerers and total freaks would pursue the knowledge this way. To be honest, from this description it wasn't shocking that I knew about it…

Anyway, to create a new magic this way one had to pay a price based on the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Like back then when I sealed Sherlieta Lohmes' soul. Luckily, just one eye was enough then and even though I could see better and more now, it had become a foreign object, an artifact. If the energy inside of it was to be somehow disrupted, I would lose the sight in this eye forever.

What I wished for was ability to dispel any form of magic and to gain it I was prepared to throw away anything. "So, take whatever you want. I'm all yours!" Concentrating on materialization of magical energy within me, I slammed my hand into the mud.

Suddenly, the whole area became filled with a bluish gas. It was pouring out of my palms and gaining ground over the kunai which stopped mid-air, while those which had already pierced my body started to slowly evaporate, consumed by my creation. In order to let it spread faster I raised my hand to the sky. After a while I knew there was enough of it and instinct told me to flick my fingers. So, I did just that and…

Though the eruption seemed to be extremely powerful, it didn't have any impact on the surrounding. There wasn't even anything like a shockwave. I hardly comprehended what was going on in front of my eyes. Thinking rationally, it had to be a spell I wished to make, however, what was with this form? In all records I was aware of there was nothing about magic forming into a gas, so I couldn't help but to feel bewildered. It was a truly intriguing occurrence…

Eventually the fumes cleared out, revealing a full success of the operation. "Haha." I let out a little snicker. I won this round. "Is it… GUARGH?" My overconfidence was quickly shot down by the massive amount of blood in my throat. In an instance my entire strength evaporated like that blue fog and I could no longer control my limbs, lifelessly dropping face down to the ground.

None of my muscles would even budge. All I could do was simply stare in the direction I was turned by the force of accident. That reminded me, drunk on the victory I forgot about the equivalent exchange. Assuming that my current condition was caused by it, the price must have been great. Probably internal damage. Maybe a missing organ? Fuck. My knowledge about medicine wasn't high enough for such self-diagnosis, especially since literally all I could currently do was thinking. And of course, breathing, although it was shallow.

That spear girl was still here, but different from the last time I saw her. Apparently, parts of her attire were gone and it didn't seem she had stripped off by herself as there was no signs of it laying anywhere. Their clothes had to be magically manufactured, so I couldn't properly sense them. My magic repellent worked against that too, leaving her only in a sleeveless white shirt and her underwear. At that moment she realized that as well and when she noticed my stare, she frantically looked away, covering her body with her hands.

Although I was still glad she was alright. She seemed to be quite young, maybe even younger than me to be honest, so no matter if she really was a part of an evil organization or not, it would feel wrong to see her dead corpse. I was already feeling guilty enough for what I did to one of her party members.

"Quite a show you put there, you know?" Unexpectedly, a voice called out from behind. Though it was rather cold and serious, I also sensed something unsettlingly playful about it. "Drink this. I'm not feeling like having you die on me." Unable to fight back, I felt a warm liquid poured inside of my mouth out of a small glass tube. "Don't worry, it's not a poison. Just the health potion of my invention. The strongest one I had, so even in your condition it should be fine. That is, as long as we're not talking about the cost of its production." Given how defenseless I was and that just mere presence of it on my tongue made me feel better, there was no room for doubts. Killing me was extremely easy right now, so no one had to bother with something as sophisticated as poison.

"Good boy." I heard a chuckle when I slowly swallowed. Immediately, I could start moving my head, though it wasn't the case for other limbs yet. "You should recover in few seconds, I hope. So, in the meantime, let's have a talk, shall we?" The boss moved into my field of vision and leaned back, supporting herself on a tree.

Comparing to minions I fought with, their boss wore quite normal clothes. She didn't look like someone important in them, but rather a person who just visited a gym. She had a flashy yellow jacket with a black dragon pattern and baggy trousers in a similar style. This outfit was successfully averting attention from the rest of her appearance. I had to admit, even though normally it would stick out more, this covering half of her face Chinese letter tattoo was hardly visible. "What are you staring at?" Noticing my intense gaze, she bitterly commented. Somehow, I could tell just from that she was used to attention of this sort.

"Sorry, I guess…" I didn't have to apologize, although, I felt like I should. "For what? Never mind that now. Let's talk." "About what?" "Many things, but first, time for introductions. I'll start. Name's Sylvette. I'm headmaster of the Ninja-Assassin Academy and yeah, I'm a teacher there too. That's why everyone calls me Instructor, probably." "Ninja-Assassin?" Couldn't be both considered pretty much the same? Nevertheless, I had never heard of such facility and in my times I even worked in the Basilicom. "Got a problem with that?" "I'm just curious." "Curious, my ass. I saved your life, revealed one of the biggest secrets hidden from the entire world and he still doesn't trust me. What a guy…" Instructor Sylvette sighed. "About that part with saving my life. You're the one who threatened it in the first place." "Trespassers would normally be killed on spot." Menacing… "Anyway, now it's your turn. Who are you and how did you get here?"

"…" "Not really talkative now, huh? Want me change my mind and stop being so sweet to you?" And were you sweet for just a second? Eh… I didn't have any choice but to play along for now. In the end, I was at the point where I hardly could sit. "Runcorn. Michael Runcorn. I'm just an adventurer who got lost because of companion's navigation disability." "Just an adventurer, he says!" Suddenly Sylvette energetically waved her hand. "You expect me to believe that? After our little duel there's no chance." "Believe or not, that's not my problem." "He kills Manbearpig, survives one of my specials and use an interesting skill. Either a terrible liar or a humble idiot. Oh, sorry about that." "You know about Manbearpig?" "Yeah. I was about to take care of it on that day, but you guys were first. That's why I know you are plenty strong, Michael Runcorn. And today, my opinion had even improved, though talking to you feels like a total pain…"

"Anyway, let's stop beating around the bush. I'll come out clean. I want you to enroll into my school." What? I didn't expect to hear such proposition. Possibility of it being a trap was pretty low as I could deduct from her previous actions, however, one thing was still bothering me. "Aw, how can I refuse after seeing such splendid care about students? Does everyone receive identical treatment? I'm not a masochist, so if that's the case, then I may pass."

The spear girl twitched when I mentioned it. She cautiously turned in my direction and then at her teacher. "Thank you for this beautiful sarcasm, darling. You are right about it. I shouldn't risk lives of my pupils just for my entertainment. I'm sorry Charlie. I'll somehow make it up to you later." Sylvette gave a slight bow and a robe materialized in her hands. The girl she had referred to as Charlie took it and quickly put it on.

"So, what's your call? I don't plan to force it, you know? Your friend's been down for the whole time and I can make a special exception for you. We can go separate paths if that's what you wish for." I wasn't sure how much I could trust on that. I gazed on RED who was safely sleeping on the side. I had no clue how long it would last or how to heal this condition, so for the time being, I would have to carry her around. Not to mention, I was completely drained. Like that, we wouldn't be able to survive another hostile encounter. Besides, wasn't getting stronger one of my main objectives to start living this way? Her students were powerful and Sylvette herself was on a whole another level.

"So? I don't have entire day even for you, sweetie." She hastened me. "…" I gulped. No doubt, it was one of those decisions which would result in a great change in life, so feeling hesitant wasn't strange. "I… I'm in." Finally, I made up my mind. "Haha. Splendid!" Instructor Sylvette clapped her hands. She seemed in high spirits because of my agreement. "Charlie, take his friend to the infirmary. Others are resting there already. I need to talk one on one with your new classmate and then we will join you." Charlie nodded and did as the instructions told her, silently disappearing with RED on her back.

"Phew. It's gonna be an interesting semester…" When we were alone, Sylvette restarted the conversation. "Why is that?" "You will find out soon. Do you have any ideas about Ninja-Assassin Academy?" "Well, it teaches how to be a ninja or an assassin if I were to take a guess…" "A witty one, huh? Anyway, before it's too late I just wanted to tell you few things about it. Until recently my school had been an all-girl one, so you know what it means?" Yes, that it would be full of girls for whom males were even more mysterious creatures than females for shut-in guys. Basically, she wanted me to prepare for being a center of attention as a rare male 'transfer' student or something like that. "Those girls are a little… warped? I dare to say. Some of them haven't even see a guy outside of comic books I left in the library." "Wait a moment. About that last sentence…" There was something fishy about it. If the school had other boys, then there was a huge contradiction between her statements. "I told you that it's been co-eded since recently and this recently means today. Figure out the rest yourself." Instructor snapped and came closer to me.

Well, many guys would kill for an occasion like that. 1 male to who-knows how many girls in a located in a middle of nowhere school. This setting alone was enough to cause the imagination to run wild… However, looking at the issue in a more realistic way, there had to be a lot of problems with that. I would be likely treated by standards from the aforementioned comics, so depends on their kind, it could get quite problematic. Not to mention, I would become a number one subject of gossip, which would end in no privacy. "You look depressed out of sudden. Are you perhaps gay?" "NO! I'm not!" Sylvette laughed, fixing her short brown hair. "Just teasing you a little. So, what's your thoughts on Charlie? Is she your type?" She continued. "I won't make any official statements." The end. "Oh, so you like older women? You know, I'm your teacher and stuff. At least wait until you graduate before making any passes…" "…"

"Can we just go there already?" I suggested assuming it was all she wanted to speak about. "Oh, I forgot myself enjoying our conversation. You recovered?" "Yup." As to prove it, I stood up. Her potion was a true wonder. I hadn't feel as good in a while after drinking it. "Sweet." Sylvette reached her hand to me. "So, where is this school?" "I'll take you there in the fastest way. Take my hand." "Okay. Like that?" I wasn't that retarded to think she wanted to hold hands on our way there, so I didn't ask any idiotic questions. "Should work. Deep breath and… Let's go, my dear new student!" Instructor had reassured her grip and before I noticed, we were already swallowed by shadows.


End file.
